


House of Wolves

by autistic_zombie_boy



Series: Running With The Wolves [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Ace needs a hug, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Isolation, Minor Character Death, Platonic Cuddling, Trans Portgas D. Ace, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Werewolf Packs, Werewolves, also Ace is trans, and he's gonna get one mark my words, its not ace or any of the whitebeards tho dw, like a lot of platonic cuddling, nonbinary characters - Freeform, past trauma, probably a little ooc but hopefully it’s not too bad I don’t think it is, that's not relevant to the story but he's trans, this is super self indulgent but isn't that what fics are?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2020-10-25 13:38:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 67,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20725085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autistic_zombie_boy/pseuds/autistic_zombie_boy
Summary: After being turned against his will at a young age and witnessing the pack that turned him get destroyed, Ace made a vow to never join another pack least he get hurt again. No matter how dangerous it was for a wolf to isolate themselves he wouldn't let himself experience that again.It was sheer stubbornness that lead him to avoiding all other werewolves and finding an unclaimed town. Too bad the world's strongest pack's territory just so happened to cut off just west of the town. but that shouldn't be a problem for Ace... Right?(Writing prompt used in notes)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt used: https://write-it-motherfuckers.tumblr.com/post/185396255164/your-heart-was-pounding-as-you-stumbled-into-your 
> 
> This is probably the first One Piece fic I've written in year so I apologize if anyone is out of character but I saw this prompt and it just seemed perfect to me! Also apologizes for any mistakes regarding spelling or grammar... I'm not great with either of those and this is really just something I'm writing in my down time so its not gonna be perfect. Regardless I hope y'all enjoy the story!!!

It was unbearably hot, flames licked at Ace’s legs as he raced through the bandit pack’s hideout. Other pack members were screaming around him but Ace didn’t pay any attention to them, his focus was finding Dadan to get her out. 

Just as Ace reached the main area of the hideout, scanning the area of the pack leader he heard it.

“ACE! ACE HELP ME!”

Luffy?! Why was Luffy here? Luffy should be with his dad-

“ACE! ACE!”

“LUFFY?! LUFFY, WHERE ARE YOU?!” Ace screamed, heading deeper into the fire after his brother’s voice, “LUFFY?!”

“ACE HELP! PLEASE ACE!” Luffy sounded like he was in pain.

Ace ran after his brother, calling out for Luffy the entire time. Every time he thought he was getting closer, his brother’s voice seemed to moved further away. The fire was getting hotter and the smoke was almost too thick for Ace to see through but he _ had to _find his brother.

“LU-” _ cough, _“Luffy, Luffy where are you.” Didn’t Ace just go down this hall? Oh Luna the smoke was disorienting him

Luffy’s screams where coming from every direction now, Ace turned down hallway after hallway, no longer trying to follow his brothers calls but to get away from them. Something was wrong, so so wrong and Ace had a gut feeling that he had to get _ away _.

“Ace! Ace is a monster! Monster! Monster! It’s all Ace’s fault!” Luffy’s voice was right by his ears, his voice wasn’t the happy, go-lucky voice Ace was used to. Instead it was twisted, accusing Ace of what he knew he was guilty of. “It’s Ace’s fault Sabo is gone! It’s all ACE’S FAULT! ACE IS A MONSTER!”

“No! Nononono,” Ace dropped to his knees, covering his ears to block out his brother's words, “I didn’t-”

“ACE IS JUST LIKE HIS FATHER!”

“LITTLE MONSTER!”

“SHOULD’VE BEEN DROWNED AT BIRTH!”

“SON OF THE DEVIL!”

“KILLER!”

There was a chorus of people, people Ace _ loved _, that were surrounding him. Each and everyone of them accusing him of being a monster, a murderer, a demon incarnated. Each of them right.

“Ace,” Luffy’s voice was right in front of him and when Ace looked up he saw his brother through his tears—when had he started crying?—, “Ace needs to pay for his sins.”

“I-I,” oh Luna he couldn’t breathe right, “I’m sorry-I’m sorry, Lu. Luffy, it’s all my fault, I couldn’t save him. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t bring Sabo back, Ace.” Luffy raised his arm, in his fist was Sabo’s pipe, “But this will.”

Luffy brought the pipe down.

* * *

Ace jolted awake, a scream caught in his throat as he gasped for air, the nightmare faded and slowly the real world came back to him. No longer was he surrounded by fire and smoke but he was back in his new room, daylight peeking in through his bedroom windows, the half shut curtains not doing much to block out the light. 

Once Ace managed to calm his racing heart he looked around his room. There were still boxes he needed to unpack but he decided to put the chore off for later when his stomach reminded him that he hadn’t eaten dinner the night before and he had slept through the morning well into the afternoon out of exhaustion. He had spent the entire day before moving his stuff into his new home, even though he didn’t have much, it was a lot of work. Especially alone.

With a grunt, Ace rolled out of bed, he might as well get a shower and head to town for something to eat, seeing as he hadn’t had the chance to stock up on food or go hunting yet. This would also be a good chance for him to explore the town a bit, he wasn’t familiar with this area at all, having chosen a town as far away from his home island or any of the islands near Dawn Island that he had lived before. 

Eventually after two years of picking up and leaving town after constantly having the towns he was residing in be made a werewolf packs new territory and said wolves often being ones he knew from his old pack, Ace just decided it was time to move across the world completely. Sure it had taken some time for him to find the right place to settle down-- thankfully being his own employer and running an online store meant he didn’t have to worry about work so long as he could find a post office to ship out stuff while he was moving about--having to navigate which places were off limits and getting into more than a few scuffles with hostile packs or hunters it took him almost a year to find somewhere he could consider safe. 

Well, relatively safe, safe-ish… it was the best he could currently do at least.

As much as he looked it was nearly impossible to find a town that wasn’t some packs territory, or worse, under the protection of some hunters and Ace wouldn't even dare to settle in a place that was claimed by a witch coven or a vampire den, so Ace had to settle for the next best thing. A town called Sixis that was on the borders of a large pack’s territory. Ace had found a cabin on a nice piece of property in the woods, it was secluded but it wasn’t a terribly long drive to get to town, only about a half hour. The cabin itself was a small with only a bedroom, bathroom, and a kitchen-living space on the bottom floor, a loft area, and a small front porch. The problem didn’t lie with the house though, the real problem was how close he was to another pack. West of town was probably the largest and strongest werewolf pack in the world, The Whitebeards.

It wasn’t ideal, Ace would prefer to be as far away from other wolves as he could--even if it was dangerous for him to isolate himself as he was. He was risking his health, both physical and mental, by isolating himself, especially as a turned wolf and not a born one, but he couldn’t bring himself to try and join another pack after the first one he was apart of was… for lack of better words, slaughtered. All but the strongest and some of the youngest of the pack were murdered in an attack by another bandit pack when Ace was fifteen. After that Ace left when the other members of the pack either tried to rebuild the pack while Dadan was recovering or even form new packs, Ace left. He hadn’t even wanted to be apart of Dadan’s pack in the first place, they hadn’t wanted him either. The only reason they ever turned and took him in was because Garp the Fist, one of the strongest hunters, forced them to. Ace was barely old enough to walk when he was turned and left with them, that shitty old man had told him it was for his own protection. That no one would suspect the Great King of the Monsters would have a son that lived with a bunch of mountain bandits.

Ace couldn’t take being a part of a pack that didn’t want him, and he had heard enough things about his father and what people would do if they found out he had a child to be wary of getting close to people in the first place. Sure he used to dream about starting his own pack when he was old enough, but that was all before Sabo was killed, before Luffy’s dad showed up out of nowhere and took his little brother away, declaring it was too dangerous for Luffy to stay there--and while Ace secretly agreed with him that didn’t make it hurt any less to have the one brother Ace had left get taken away--, and before Dadan’s pack got attacked by another pack that they were supposed to be allied with. 

After all that Ace was determined to stay as far away from other wolves as he could, no matter how troublesome it was. Which is what led him to his current location, out of all the other places he looked at, towns bordering Whitebeard’s territory all seemed to be his safest bets. The pack was known for being the strongest but they also had some more pleasant rumors around them, as of now they weren’t interested in expanding their territory and they were rather calm about wolves that didn’t cross their borders . And with their borders cutting off a ways from the town, Ace probably wasn’t going to have any trouble not crossing into their territory. For now, with a town acting as a buffer between them, Ace was safe enough and that’s all that mattered.

* * *

Ace drove into Sixis just after noon, it didn’t take him long to find a place to park his jeep in the small town. As far as Ace could tell he was on the main strip, there were several restaurants that he could choose from and decided to pick randomly and hope none of them minded large orders.

** _“Big Eater Pizzeria!”_ ** Was written in bold letters on the front window and again on the glass door Ace pushed open. A bell chimed to alert people of his presence and a young woman with bright pink hair peeked out of the kitchen before her eyes landed on him.

A wide smile spread across her face as she greeted him, “Hi there! Welcome to Big Eater’s! I’ll be with you in a moment!”

Ace smiled and nodded, “take your time.”

The woman grinned and disappeared into the kitchen where some shouting could be heard but Ace ignored it. He took the chance to take a look at one of the menus laying on the counter so he’d have some idea of what to order. After a few minutes of browsing the menu, he started to look around the restaurant. It was pretty spacious but it had a casual atmosphere that he felt welcomed in, and the entire place smelled delicious. Ace inhaled deeply and took in the smell. He could also smell the faint scent of other wolves which almost made him turn tail and leave but it was faint which meant they hadn’t been here too recently or at least not too frequently from what he could tell. Other than that the place smelled mostly of humans, which was good.

The pink-haired woman reappeared from the kitchen. Ace took the chance to find her scent as she approached him, she was human.

“Sorry for the wait, I’m training new cooks--say, I haven’t seen you before. New in town? I’m Bonney, the owner of this place.” The woman--Bonney--said.

“It’s all fine. And yeah, just finished moving today. I’m Ace,” Ace gave a small bow, he was eternally grateful Makino had taught him manners when he was younger.

“Well, welcome to town, Ace!” Bonney said before pulling out a pad of paper and a pen, “you know what you want to order or do you need a bit?”

Ace paused for a moment before nodding, “Yeah I know, um, six large meat-lovers, three large cheese pizzas and… uh, two orders of bread sticks, all to-go please.”

“How many people are you feeding?”

“Uh… just… just myself…” Ace said, his appetite had always been unusually large. Even before being turned he just ate a lot. Most people were disgusted by how much food he had to eat but he couldn’t help it, no matter how inconvenient and sometimes embarrassing it could be.

“Damn! Oh I like you, you know how to eat!” Bonney grinned, reaching over to punch him in the shoulder, her eyes glanced over his bite scar but she didn’t let them linger. “I have a feeling we’re gonna be friends.”

Ace let out a relieved laugh, smiling.

“Need anything else?”

“Nope.”

“Alright, comeback in about… an hour?” Bonney asked after checking something on her notepad.

“Sounds good.” Ace nodded and Bonney gave him one last smile before disappearing into the kitchen.

To kill some time while he waited for his food, Ace decided to explore Sixis a bit. Familiarize himself with the area and try to locate any places of interest. Or at least he could try to find the post office, he’d need to find that sooner or later if he was going to keep his shop going. And a grocery store, he needed to get some food in his house soon, there was a full moon later this week after all.

* * *

Ace readjusted the grocery bags in his hands as he stepped out of the supermarket. He’ll need to come back for more later but he was cutting it close to his food being done already so he ended up just grabbing some of the necessities for the time being. He was just about to head back to his car when the wind blew his way and he caught the scent. It was the unmistakable smell of another wolf--no, _ of other wolves _. For a moment he couldn’t breath, sure he expected to run into the nearby pack at some point but he was hoping that he wouldn’t run into them so soon.

Trying to be subtle, Ace looked around for the source of the smell. Immediately Ace found them, it was a group of five all clambering out of a car bearing the Whitebeard Mark on it’s back window a few blocks down. Thankfully they didn’t seem to notice him, either because the wind wasn’t blowing his scent towards them or because his own scent was so weak on its own now it was hard to get a scent off of him from a distance. Being without a pack made every part of him weaker, his scent included which worked in his favor when avoiding other wolves. Sure even a werewolf without a sense of smell would probably suspect he was one of them thanks to the scar on his shoulder but without smelling him or a pack on him it would be harder to distinguish him from a human at a distance. All he had to do was keep his distance.

With that in mind, Ace took a deep breath and crossed the street to avoid being on the same sidewalk as them. He was on high alert while pointedly pretending he didn’t notice them in hopes that they would ignore him right back but luck wouldn’t have it. Across from him he could hear their chatter died down and he felt eyes watching him, his instincts screamed at him to watch them right back. But Ace stayed stubborn, acknowledging them would just mean he knew, and if he showed he knew then they would know he knew and if they knew he knew then they would know.

Ace shook his head to clear it, that didn’t make sense, he was starting to freak out. He really needed to get away from them and get back to his home as soon as he could. The second he rounded the corner onto main street, Ace let out a relieved sigh, his body untensing. It was nerve racking but he did it, he could do this.

He was determined to make a living here. 

* * *

The Whitebeard pack was feared and respected by both other packs and humans alike. But that didn’t mean there weren’t other packs constantly having a go at them to try and take the Whitebeard’s place as the strongest, Thatch had seen it a _ billion _ times and would probably see a billion more packs challenge his pops. It was practically routine for pops to have an attempt at his life and wreck part of the pack’s house in the process of kicking their asses while laughing about it. At this point it was more of an annoyance than worrying and Whitebeard got a kick out of the activity, but that didn’t mean they didn’t need to report when a new pack was nearby so they could prepare to fix any damages that will come with an attack.

Which is exactly what Thatch needed to do now. Back in Sixis while making a mail and grocery run with some of his siblings they found another wolf. One they couldn’t get a clear scent off of, and that was worrying. Sure in an outright attack they were pretty safe, but if a wolf could hide their scent and do a sneak attack? That could potentially do some damage and Thatch needed to report on that.

“Are you guys good with the rest?” Thatch asked, setting down a box on the kitchen counter.

Namur nodded, “Yeah, we’ll put everything away. Go tell pops whats up.”

With that Thatch started up the stairs to Whitebeard’s office. Once he got to the door he could hear voices inside, it seemed Marco was back home from meeting with Red-Hair’s pack. Hopefully his brother wasn’t in too bad a mood, Shanks always ruffled his older brother's feathers.

Before he could even knock on the door a voice called out.

“Come in, Thatch.”

Thatch grinned to himself before opening the door, “Hey, pops. Hey, Marco. How was Red-Hair?”

“Shut up, yoi. I’m not in the mood.” Marco scowled at him.

“Okay, okay,” Thatch said, putting his hands up in a placating gesture.

Their father chuckled and turned his attention to Thatch, “Everything go alright in town, son?”

“That’s kinda what I came up here to talk about.” Thatch started, questioning how he was going to explain this. “We might need to be on guard for another attack.”

The mood shift was immediate.

“What do you mean, yoi?” Marco asked. As the second in command Marco had seen his fair share of attempts at their father's life or at their sibling's lives as well and he always took threats towards his family seriously.

Thatch sighed, “In town today, we may’ve… ran into another wolf? I’m not exactly sure yet, none of us could get a proper scent off them. Hell, if I’m being honest I couldn’t tell if they are really a wolf or just someone that was hanging around one recently from the smell, it was pretty faint. If it weren’t for the fact we saw what could be a bite scar on his shoulder… honestly even then I’m not sure. That coulda just been a scar and I could just be assuming the worst.”

“But you smelled something.” Marco pointed out.

“Barely.”

“That’s still something, yoi,” Marco said, “Pops?”

Whitebeard had a serious look on his face, obviously thinking the information over, before speaking, “We don’t have enough information as of yet, so no confrontation of this person. The last thing we want is to threaten a human under the pretense that they could have been apart of a rival pack.”

“Pops-” Marco started.

“However, I will allow you to prepare and observe this person,” Whitebeard said, giving them a look. “Does that sound good?”

“I guess, yoi,” Marco relented, “but if I suspect we’re in danger-”

“We’ll discuss that if that time comes,” Whitebeard finished, "For now we will wait and see, I'd also like for you to get in contact with the neighboring packs and see if they know anything. As well as the covens and vampire dens to see if anyone has any information," then after a pause, "I also want Haruta to look into the hunters database, make sure this doesn't have anything to do with them."

Thatch sighed, this wasn't a great situation but at least they could prepare for the worse. Hopefully everything would turn out alright in the end.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A full moon comes and goes, how is Ace settling into this whole situation? And What are the Whitebeard's thinking about their new neighbor?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter got way, way too long and I ended up cutting it in half so it could be out sooner than if I didn't and I had to edit it all and it kinda leaves off at an awkward place but I honestly think my chapter ending just leave off awkwardly no matter what and I'm sorry bout that y'all.
> 
> Also heads up I headcanon Haruta and Izo as nonbinary and I use they/them pronouns for Haruta and she/her pronouns for Izo, so I hope there isn't any confusion there!
> 
> Uh there isn't much else!! Hope y'all enjoy and reviews are much appreciated!!!

Ace was slowly but surely settling into his own little routine. It had been almost a month and he had been lucky so far. As of now the Whitebeard’s had kept their distance from him, yet whenever he was in town at the same time they were he could _ feel _ them observing him. Ace wouldn’t acknowledge them but it got a little nerve wracking to see a group of wolves watching him from the corner of his eye while he was picking up groceries or mailing stuff out. But so far they hadn’t approached him at all which Ace took as a good sign that he was either hiding his status well or they didn’t find him threatening enough to confront. 

Either way Ace wasn’t going to push his luck. Each time he noticed them he would wrap up what he was doing as quickly as possible without making a scene and hightail it back home. 

It wasn’t perfect but it was good enough. 

But then the full moon started to approach and Ace was worrying himself sick over what he was going to do. Ace had very few positive experiences with full moons and transformations. In general they were hard on his body, he was always starving and exhausted and in pain after each moon, and that only got worse once he started isolating himself. It took days after each moon for him to recover enough to go out in public even when he was young. 

And now, for the first time since he left Dawn Island, Ace actually had land to roam during a transformation rather than hauling himself in his home and making transformations worse on himself than they had to be... _but_ he couldn’t shake the thought that the nearby pack might infringe on his territory. Sure, in his sweep of the woods surrounding his house he didn’t catch a single scent of another wolf but he was still paranoid, especially with the other pack’s less than subtle attempts to observe him. He was too weak to protect himself if anything were to happen. So, to protect himself, Ace decided to hide for the first moon at his new home, the day after he could scout the woods and check to see if he had any wolves peeking into his territory. 

In the week leading up to the moon he started to prepare. He cleared out his shed that he was using for his shop out and began to secure the shed for his transformation. He wasn’t securing the shed so he couldn’t get out though. It was more so other things wouldn’t try to get in. He hunted the day before, catching a good sized stag for when he was transformed and he hoped it would keep him sated during the night. He made sure he had enough water. Some blankets-- to either use or tear up-- and for in the morning, clothing.

Now all he had to do was wait for the sun to set.

* * *

The moon had just began to rise as Ace finished locking himself in his shed. His hands had already started to change into claws and he could feel his fangs growing sharper in his mouth. Instinctively he tried to hold back transforming until he was back against the wall furthest from the door, waves of pain crashed through him as his bones started shifting.

For a normal wolf, transformations weren’t this painful but it seemed Ace had gotten screwed over with his bloodline in more ways than one. A new flash of pain took over and Ace crumpled to his knees, letting out a pained whine as his body continued to change. He clawed at the floor in an attempt to ground himself but it wasn’t helping.

With each bout of blinding pain his body changed a bit more until it was finally over and Ace lay there, panting for air and letting out small pained whimpers.

His senses became sharper and every sound was suddenly too loud, every smell too powerful, even the dim light was too bright. But the worst was over.

Or so he thought, as soon as he closed his eyes something moved outside and he jolted up, eyes wide and ears perked as he waited with bated breath for the noise to repeat. Then he heard something from the opposite direction and panicked, he pressed himself against the wall. 

He could picture other wolves circling his shed, memories of past encounters with packs and near brushes with death reared their ugly head and Ace let out a whimper, not out of pain but out of fear.

Maybe this was going to be a long night after all.

* * *

Ace groaned, curling up further on himself as he slowly woke up. His body ached dully and his head pounded in time with his racing heart, he felt like he had a hangover and like he got thrown down a mountain at the same time. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and he was shaking on the dirt floor of his shed. He was completely numb and yet somehow in terrible pain, nothing felt real, it all felt like some sort of fucked up dream.

So he just laid there in pain for who knows how long before he could will himself to sit up and assess the damage the moon did.

His shed looked fairly intact, the blankets he had brought with him and his clothing were torn to shreds-- maybe he should’ve left those outside the shed-- and the stag he had caught was nothing but bones strewn across the shed. At least he could still use the bones for his shop. He barely remembered the night before apart from the initial transformation and moments of clarity which were filled with fear and pain until his instincts override his human emotions, with each full moon he spent alone it seemed he was losing more and more of his sanity, becoming just a little more feral each time he transformed and losing just that much more control over himself and Ace wondered how long it would be until he could no longer stave off transformations or change outside of the full moon. Or worse, until he was no longer able to change back from a wolf when the sun came up and he would be hunted and captured for being too dangerous.

Ace sighed and shook his head, he should head inside and get cleaned up, taking a look at his body he looked numbly at the dirt and blood caked under his nails and the scratches and bruises under the dirt on his arms, thighs, and stomach. He really did a number on his body this time.

He pushed up off the ground, wincing as his joints cracked, the grabbed the least tattered blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders. Ace paused at the door for a moment, taking a second to breath deep and listen for any suspicious smells or sounds, once he was satisfied that everything was as it should be he unlocked the door and made his way to his house.

There was still dew on the ground as Ace shuffled is way around the house and the porch steps were cold under his bare feet. He luckily had the forethought to leave his house keys in the little lantern-light by the door and he pushed the door open. 

As soon as he was inside Ace went into the kitchen, he needed to eat before he cleaned up and then he could sleep. He decided to pop some toast in the toaster and he waited until it was done before sliding down to sit on the floor while he ate. His stomach churned as he took the first bite, he was past being hungry and the thought of food was making him ill but he forced himself to eat slowly while tears slowly built up in his eyes as he started to crash and burn as reality sunk in. A new wave of pain rushed over his body. He covered his mouth to muffle a choked off sob. He didn’t know if he was crying from being overwhelmed or if it was out of relief that he made it through the night or if he was just in _ that much pain _.

Ace felt truly pathetic in that moment as he couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down his face or the sobs from bubbling out of his throat.

Look at him! He was naked, covered in dirt, sitting on his kitchen floor, eating toast while having a breakdown! This was his life-- what the hell did he do to end up here?!

Fuck he knew the answer to that, he was born that’s what he did.

Bitterly, Ace rubbed his face, wiping away his angry tears before unsteadily standing up. After taking a moment against his kitchen counter to get his bearings he took a deep breath. He was going to dig himself deeper into a hole of self loathing if he kept just crying on the floor. He got something to eat, now he just needed a shower and then he could sleep or cry for the rest of the day if he wanted. 

Ace mustered up the rest of his energy to shuffle his way into his tiny bathroom. He turned the shower on hot and sat under the stream. He didn’t even have the energy to stand for long but at least he could get the dirt and blood off of his skin. The warm water beat down on his back and shoulders, soothing his sore muscles and stinging some of the open wounds. Ace tucked his knees under his chin and closed his eyes, he could feel the dirt and blood washing away as he sat there. Eventually he uncurled from himself and leaned his head back to rinse out his hair, combing a hand through his shaggy locks he tugged the knots out and tried to thoroughly saturate his hair with water. He moved as slowly as he could to wash off each part of his body in turn until the water ran clear. Ace turned off the shower and toweled off, the toweling opened some of his wounds but he shrugged it off before heading into his bedroom. He figured he could treat his wounds after he slept a bit seeing as none of them were in dire need of attention.

But right now he was struggling to stay upright so he put on the first clean pair of pajama pants he touched and crawled into his bed. Finally he could get some rest. Everything else could wait.

* * *

“Still nothing?” Whitebeard asked as his children came home, Marco, Thatch, and Jozu had gone into town to see if there was any sign of their mysterious neighbor. It had been almost a week since they had seen him and the last time they saw of him was just before the full moon, they were worried about a lot of things. Whether this could mean there was an attack coming or if something were to happen to the other if their suspensions of him being a wolf were true. Him disappearing right after the full moon seemed to fuel his children's theory he was a wolf though they hadn't gotten any solid proof of him to be one.

Even now, after several weeks they still couldn't tell, they couldn’t get a scent off of him for long enough to tell as he seemed to be avoiding them like the plague. Each time they were in town it seemed the kid was just leaving as soon as they caught sight of him, it happened far too often for it to be purely a coincidence they hadn’t crossed paths yet but that still didn't mean _anything_ definitive.

But if he was a wolf... Now just where was this kids pack then? As it was as he seemed far too young to be starting his own and a few of them got it in their heads that he could be some sort of scout either sent by another pack or even one being used by the hunters to ambush them seeing as the kid seemed far too weak from how he looked alone to be a threat to them.

_And then_, some of them, particularly his more level headed children, just thought he was a human that maybe hung around werewolves or something of the sorts. Whitebeard didn’t know what to believe.

“Nothing, yoi,” Marco said, sitting down in the chair across from him, “it’s like he just up and disappeared.”

“Maybe he left town because he got tired of us stalking him to try and figure out if he’s even one of us or not,” Izo said, filing her nails.

“We aren’t stalking him!” Thatch defended, “We’re just… just… uh…”

“Tailing him?” Namur supplied.

“Shadowing?”

“Hunting?”

“Casing!” Haruta shouted.

“None of those sound better at all,” Thatch muttered, then shook his head, “Well whatever we’re doing I don’t think that’s why we haven’t seen him.”

“Oh pray tell then, why do you think he hasn’t shown up?” Izo questioned.

Marco, Thatch, and Jozu all exchanged a look and Whitebeard sat up a little straighter.

“We… have a theory… it's not a very good one but it would explain a lot about this guy,” Jozu said after a moment, “he could be a lone wolf.”

There was a pretty split reaction at that, some of his children gasped while a few laughed in disbelief.

“What do you mean? I thought it was… ya know? Bad to not have a pack?” Haruta asked. They had been adopted by Pops shortly after their parents passed away, having been born a werewolf they had been surrounded by other blood wolves their entire life but still didn’t know everything about werewolves outside of their own family having been pretty sheltered.

“It is,” Whitebeard nodded, “wolves are social creatures, family focuses. As are humans to a similar extent. A simple way to think of it is that we are a blend of human and wolf, yes? Therefore we need contact with others to thrive. For us to be without a pack is… dangerous to put it lightly.”

“... what about not put it not lightly?”

“I’ve told you about my how my uncle was a hunter, yeah?” Rakuyo asked.

“A couple of times, yeah?”

“Well… he wasn’t very secretive about what they did, a common torture method used was isolation. And that’s not really exclusive to werewolves, no isolation is a cruel punishment to pretty much everyone, any species. But for wolves? For some reason it’s hardwired into our DNA to be around others, without a pack we become weak and susceptible to paranoia, sickness, depression, and they just become overall weaker, ya know? We don’t function right. And for some reason it’s even worse with turned wolves. Something about how they’re DNA changed or something.”

Marco nodded, “I’ve seen the… things hunters have done to our kind. Isolation fucks us up. It plays into our need of contact and for a turned wolf to be isolated it messes with their DNA even further. You would think they would have less wolf instincts but it’s more like a complete override. There aren’t many studies on why as… well it’s just like human experiments, like trying to figure out why you need to eat or why a vampire needs to consume blood. It’s not right to do study that, yoi.”

“Doesn’t stop hunters though,” Whitebeard said, “I’ve seen many wolves get turned and studied before being thrown back out into the world. Then hunted because they aren’t deemed safe by the hunter organization. Or even used as a way to capture other wolves. Sometimes putting an unclaimed wolf near a pack is enough to set a pack off and that can create an opportunity for hunters to sweep in and wipe out the entire pack cause their focus is elsewhere.”

“So…” Haruta began, “so you think this guy is one of those wolves?”

“Well the lack of a scent is suspicious in its own right, but what concerns me is his behavior…. something just isn’t right.” Thatch said, sitting back, “something about how he’s so jumpy and he just… avoids us. You’ve seen it, he goes out of his way to avoid contact with us.”

“But then again, he may just be avoiding us cause we’re, ya know, a little intimidating.” Curiel said, “even if he is a human he’s probably noticed us or heard of us at one point or another. I mean, to humans we don’t always come off as a nice and friendly pack…”

“That is true,” Whitebeard said then thought for a moment, “with that in mind, I think maybe we should pull back a little bit, as of now we have no proof to anything and while I’m agreeing we should stay alert,” he gave Marco a look as he seemed to be about to object, “But as of now, it's been nearly a month with nothing happening and usually the brats that come after us don’t wait too long to make their move, so let’s give him some room and see what his next move is before we make any new decisions _ or _ come up with any new theories. As far as we know, he's human and he isn't a threat, got it?”

“Aye, Pops,” his children chorused before someone changed the topic and they started chattering amongst themselves. 

This was going to be interesting to say the least.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more time has passed and Ace has finally started to feel safe, but with safety comes recklessness. And the Whitebeard's start to worry about what's going on with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I had to re-write this chapter several times before I was happy with it and how it connects but here ya go!! Once again sorry for any mistakes!!!
> 
> Enjoy!!!

Four more moons had passed since the first one and Ace was truly starting to relax. The Whitebeard pack started to lose interest in him and outside of the days after a full moon, they paid little to no mind in him and those moments became less frequent as the months passed. And after the second moon, once Ace determined no one would infringe on his territory, he let himself roam free on his property during the full moon which seemed to help him recover after the moon. He was feeling better than he had in a long time and he was benefiting from it. His shop was doing a lot better too, now that he was hunting frequently and he had the energy craft more products.

Ace grunted as he stood up straight from his work desk where he had been hunched over for the past few hours. He had gotten slightly behind on his orders and he was trying to wrap them up before sending them out on time. Lately orders had been stacking up and Ace was happy with that, working on figures and jewelry he made to sell was a good distraction from life, especially with the anniversaries of his brothers death and him leaving Dadan’s pack coming up, he really needed a distraction.

But now he had been working for most of the day and he really needed a break and some food.

It was early evening and he had skipped lunch, so he decided to finish up his latest project, a deer antler necklace that he was inlaying with some quartz he’d found, and then he’d pack up his finished work and mail them out before getting himself some dinner. Hopefully he’d get into town before the post office closed for the day and he would be able to do that before getting dinner.

* * *

Ace waved bye at the post office worker and her daughter, O-Tama was such a sweet kid-- she reminded him a lot of Luffy-- and he had become friends with her and most of the post office workers since he saw them so often. Truthfully, he had made friends with a lot of the people in town, albeit a bit tentatively and he wasn’t very close to anyone and he wasn’t really planning on getting too close to anyone either, but still, it was kinda nice. 

Speaking of friends, Ace was hungry and he was really craving some pizza, he was going to place an order at Bonney’s before doing some quick shopping. 

Distracted by the thought of food as Ace rounded the corner and collided into someone, someone very solid and very, _ very _large and he stumbled back from the force. He opened his mouth to apologize for not paying attention before his words died in his throat.

Staring down at him was a member of the Whitebeard pack, and not just any member, the pack leader himself. Whitebeard was staring down at him with a look of confusion and Ace felt rooted on the sidewalk while he watched as the pack leader took a deep breath on instinct, his eyes widened in realization. Ace knew it was took late as he backed away.

  


“S-Sorry!!” He blurted out, before running into him and took off across the street, in the direction of his car. Behind him, Whitebeard called out something but Ace couldn’t hear anything over his heart pounding in his ears as the edges of his vision blurred. He had to get out of here.

There was no way any wolf-- let alone one as revered and powerful as fucking Whitebeard-- wouldn’t be able to tell he was a lone wolf and his stomach churned at the thought. What the hell was he going to do now?

Ace was screwed.

* * *

Whitebeard rarely went into Sixis, aside from the occasional night for dinner, he only really went into the town for doctor visits.

Which is why he was in town now. His children were worried over his health after the last attempt at his head ended with him getting a small, non-fatal, knife wound. It was nothing that he hadn’t experienced before but he let his children convince him to get stitches and today he had an appointment to get them taken out-- thankfully his children let him go alone, it was nice they cared for his health but it was a little much when they got all up in a tizzy whenever he got hurt or sick. 

His oldest were especially guilty of making mountains out of mole hills but he wasn’t about to scold them for caring for their family. He’d just appreciate if they could take a step back and let him handle his health every once in a while.

But, now that he was in town, he could go to that really quant liquor store that made their own sake and none of his children-- or he should say, _Marco_\-- could say anything about how he shouldn’t be drinking.

Whitebeard deserved a little treat.

Just as he was about to turn the corner someone ran into him and stumbled back. Before he could check on the person who bumped into him, he caught scent of who it was. It was the wolf they’d been watching for months.

For the first time he got a good look at--a scent off of-- this mysterious wolf and he knew something was wrong. He couldn’t be older than 19-- maybe even younger--, and he looked, _ he smelled, sick _. 

Whitebeard had experience with wolves being in trouble, he had saved a number of his children from less than ideal situations, he knew what a sick wolf smelled like and this, this _ child _? 

There was something very wrong with him. His scent was weaker than any other wolf’s he had smelled-- even from wolves that had been isolated by hunters, even a  _ human _ had a stronger scent than this kid--, but there was something lingering in the scent that set off alarm bells in his head. 

The scent of sickness lingered around this boy and Whitebeard was at a loss for words. What could he even say? They had spent months watching this wolf and debating what his motive could be, or if he was even a wolf and now that he was face to face with him, Whitebeard almost regretted finding out.

The air was thick with tension and fear practically radiated off of the other wolf. But before Whitebeard could even open his mouth, the child sputtered out an apology for running into him and turned on his heel before sprinting off across the street. 

“Wait! Child!” He called after him but if anything the kid seemed to just run faster, though Whitebeard didn’t actually expect him to stop but it was the only thing he could think to do, he couldn’t just chase after him. Without a doubt that would make a scene and it would also probably scare the poor kid to death by confronting him now if the look of pure terror in his eyes was anything to go by.

Fuck getting sake. He needed to get back to his pack, he needed to do something about this and he needed them to be on the same page as him.

* * *

“Hey, Pops! How was the docto-” Fossa tried to greet his father as he entered the living room but got cut off.

“Pack meeting, now.” Whitebeard’s tone left no room for questions and the volume of his command left the pack scrambling for the meeting room. No good ever came for a pack meeting.

As soon as Whitebeard sat down he was bombarded by questions which were silenced with a raise of his hand. He had time on the drive home to think about what he wanted to do and what he was going to say to his family.

But first he needed to get the necessary things out of the way.

“First of all, my health is fine. This meeting isn’t about that,” Whitebeard said, watching his children visibly relax at that then exchange a look of confusion with each other.

“Then what’s going on, yoi?” Marco asked, the worry not leaving his son’s eyes.

“The boy, the other wolf,” Whitebeard said, “he’s sick.”

Immediately his children erupted in questions once again and Whitebeard waited for the chatter to die back down.

“What happened?” Jozu questioned, “And what do you mean by _ ‘sick’ _?”

Whitebeard sighed, “I mean just that. I ran into the kid today and I got his scent. _ Only _his scent, no one else's.”

“So,” Haruta started, “he’s alone? And sick?”

He nodded. “His scent told me that much. But he ran before I could get any other information. I’m not sure what it is but it wasn’t and I’m worried.”

“Think it’s something that could spread to us? Like a plague or something?” Curiel asked.

“No, I don’t think he’s some kind of trap or patient zero sent to infect us. He’s too timid for that,” Whitebeard shook his head, “if anything they would have better success in infecting us if they just sent the child to us to take care of… No, I’m worried about him. There’s something familiar about his scent that I can’t put my finger on. The kid might be killing himself, he looked like he had just gone twelve rounds with the universe and lost each one, honestly, forget his scent. I don’t know what’s happened to him but it couldn’t have been good for the kid to end up how he is.”

“So what do you want us to do, pops?” Thatch asked, but Whitebeard could tell his children already knew what he was planning.

“How do you brats feel about another sibling, hmm?” By their matching grins he knew they liked his plan.

Now they just had to get the other wolf to join them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whitebeard: *sees Ace* Welp, looks like I got a new son.
> 
> As always comments are much appreciated!! Thanks for reading!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace wonders what the hell the Whitebeards are up to. The Whitebeard's try to make friends with Ace as another threat starts to rear its ugly head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got super busy this past week and I totally forgot to edit this!! But I did!! And its done!!!
> 
> Enjoy!!

Ace started looking at new homes as soon as he got home after his run in with Whitebeard. He should have been keeping an eye out for places to move just in case from the very beginning, he should have had a back up plan because _ of course _ with his luck he would get found out. As it was, he was now struggling to find somewhere safe to move with recent… events that had happened with some of the other big werewolf packs making it so his previous options were now either a part of Big Mom’s or Kaido’s territory or now under protection of hunters.

After hours of researching new places, Ace was almost tempted to ask for help from his shitty gramps and see if he could help. But Ace quickly decided that would be a last resort right next reaching out to Red-Hair or going back to Dawn island.

Instead, Ace decided to hunker down and limit his time in town back to dropping off packages and getting groceries for the most part. Until he could find somewhere else to move to, he’d have to put more effort into avoiding the Whitebeard’s. 

Which may not be enough as they were now not keeping their distance at all. 

Ace couldn’t figure out what they were doing now. Or rather _why_ they were doing it.

Each time he had gotten caught by another pack he’d have a few days maximum to get out before being attacked. Or worse in some cases.

But now? _ Now?! _

Ace had no fucking clue what the Whitebeard’s were doing. 

Each time he was in town-- no matter how short his visits were-- they would somehow sniff him out and… have small talk?

Whenever he was in town at least one of them would try to approach him like he was a cornered animal-- maybe that was too appropriate of a comparison--, with soft voices and careful movements. They never approached him in groups either, Ace didn’t know if they were doing that because they _ knew _ he couldn’t take even one of them or if they were trying to give him some-- false?-- sense of safety, they would try to strike up a conversation or if he was doing something they’d offer him help. He was driving himself mad trying to figure out what they were planning. 

With each day they grew more persistent, by now he was sure the entire pack had tried to strike up a conversation with him and nothing he did would deter them. At some point he stopped being outwardly afraid of them and had started threatening them but they wouldn't leave him alone! Each and every one of them would brush off his verbal jabs and continue talking to him like they knew each other. And the most annoying was the fucking pack leader-- a close second were the blond with the wild hair cut and the fucking pompadour guy though.

Whitebeard himself would show up in town pretty much every week without fail and find him. Ace could snap and insult the man but he would just laugh and invite Ace back for dinner or some shit like they were friends-- or worse, like he wanted Ace to join them.

It was infuriating to say the least and Ace couldn't figure out how he was supposed to react.

* * *

“Feisty brat, isn’t he?” Marco asked as Whitebeard came back from their latest encounter with the lone wolf-- who was lovingly dubbed as ‘freckles’ by Thatch because the other wolf refused to give him his name, Marco wouldn’t admit that he had already told him and Whitebeard his name was Ace. He didn’t want to deal with his brother pouting while they more pressing matters on their hands. Over the last few weeks the kid went from timid to full on getting ready to fight them every time they interacted. 

It would be amusing to Marco if Ace didn’t look like he was minutes from collapsing at any given moment. Marco would deny it to hell and back but he was worried sick over the kid and he was already a little bit attached to him. When he had gotten his scent and had gotten a good look at him several times before and he knew this kid was sick--even if none of them could pin down what the hell was wrong with him-- and maybe he was a mother hen like his siblings already accused him of being but he couldn’t help that and it’s not like his family was any better when it came to this brat.

“He’s got some spirit that one.” Whitebeard chuckled, then his face softened.

“What’s wrong, yoi?” His pops had been getting a look in his eyes whenever he had a talk-- or got insulted-- by Ace that Marco wasn’t sure if he liked. It wasn’t sad… more nostalgic maybe?

“It’s nothing, son,” Whitebeard said and shook his head, “Let’s get home. I want to see if Bay’s gotten back yet and if she had any news.”

Marco nodded and got in the car after him. “Think Teach might try something this moon?”

“Not sure yet, with Kaido and Charlotte acting up and the hunters pressing their luck with going into their territories… he’s been using them as an opportunity to snoop around. Even that brat Red-Hair has noticed him in his territory and he’s been getting awfully close to ours as well.”

“Anything you want us to do?” They had only a couple days until the full moon so if they needed to do anything to prepare they would have to get on that soon.

Whitebeard said nothing.

“Pops?”

“I’m not worried about us,” Whitebeard said after a moment, “We can take anything that runt throws at us. But…”

“... But?” Marco pressed.

“But, I am worried about Ace.” Whitebeard said, “He’d be an easy target for Teach and if our suspicions are right…”

“He might try to go after Ace,” Marco finished. He hadn’t thought of that, Teach had attacked other wolves unprovoked before and recently he had been trying to secure territory around them, probably to have another go at Whitebeard’s head after his last attempt a few years ago failed spectacularly.

For a while, since before the other wolf had even moved next to them, Teach laid off of them, but now he was back trying to gain favors with the hunters, and if their suspicions were right he was trying to get a spot as Yonko pack and he seemed to be doing that by stealing territory close to the other Yonkos, it didn’t matter if it was another packs territory or not to him. 

That of course didn’t sit well with Kaido and Big Mom and they had kicked up quite a stink, taking over unclaimed cities, but Neither Whitebeard nor Red-Hair minded too much so long as he kept his distance and didn’t mess with their packs. 

But now they had Ace to worry about. He had claimed the area west of them and he would be the _ perfect _ target for Teach. Even though the brat definitely had the guts to stand up to another wolf if he got cornered he wasn’t strong enough to even last a minute against one if his life depended on it. Determination meant nothing when he was about as threatening as a new-turned pup. Especially when it came to Teach, that bastard wouldn’t bat an eye at hurting an obvious non-threat if it meant getting himself more power.

“What should we do?” Marco asked.

“I have a plan… it's not great but unless we can think of something else, I fear it may be our only plan.”

* * *

Just as they had feared, Teach had taken over another packs territory north of them and Whitey Bay had came home with intell that he may try for the ‘unclaimed’ territory west of them.

“The good news is, no other pack knows about our neighbor, the bad news is, Teach definitely thinks he can take over that land and I doubt he would be deterred by a lone child.” Whitey Bay said, while she wasn’t a werewolf like most of Pops’ pack, but she was just as loyal as one and her coven of witches had pledge their loyalty to him so long as they were under his protections. 

“I didn’t want this to come to this, but we’re going to have to take proactive measures it seems,” Whitebeard said, looking over the paperwork she had delivered, “If we can’t catch him in town before the full moon then I want a team to make sure he is safe.”

“Meaning?” Izo asked.

“Meaning you’ll have to go into his territory,” Whitebeard said. 

This was really a last resort for them, while they wanted Ace to join them or at least to let them help him, to cross over into his territory was such a break in trust. Up until now they made sure to stay clear of the west side of town and to back off when he started to get too antsy and to _ never _ follow him home. But now if they couldn’t get in contact with him before the full moon they might have to cross over. And with the kids habits before each full moon their chances of finding him in town were pretty slim.

They were all quiet for a bit while they processed the information before Jozu spoke up.

“Alright, who will go and what do you want us to do once we’re over there?”

“I’m not sure who I want to go yet, give me some time to think about that,” Whitebeard said, “But to put it simply? I just want a few of us to go, not many. Just make sure Teach doesn’t try anything and don’t hurt the kid, I doubt he’d be able to do any damage to any one here but I also doubt he won’t… try to. ”

“Maybe you should go then, Pops,” Kingdew said, “By now your scent is probably the easiest to identify to him and if you’re there with some of us then Teach might believe we’ve claimed the area.”

“I’ll think about it, but I’m not going to make any decisions tonight.” Whitebeard stood up, dismissing the meeting, “In the morning we’ll have another meeting and decide who's going if it comes down to that. For now this meeting is over. Understood?”

“Aye, Pops.” His children chorus back before getting up after him.

Whitebeard could feel a storm brewing on the horizon and he hoped they were prepared for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did say Ace was gonna suffer some more before getting that hug I promised in the tags, right?
> 
> Anyways!! Hope y'all enjoyed and as always comments are appreciated!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Whitebeard's have no choice but to go into Ace's territory and Ace doesn't take it too well. Hopefully they can figure out a way to fix this mess before it's too late.

A werewolf’s territory was something sacred. They were supposed to be _ safe _.

Ace was supposed to be _safe_ in his territory but now he was anything but.

He was out in the woods, doing a perimeter check to put his mind at ease, because he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t alone, that was something he had been feeling for the past few days whenever he reached the edge of his territory and it would gnaw at his paranoia until he'd check. It before moon rise in a few minutes when he caught an oh so familiar scent. One that set him on edge in an instant. Ace turned around and in the tree line was a massive white wolf and several other smaller-- well compared to the giant one they were smaller, they were still _so much bigger than him_\-- wolves advancing towards his territory and he panicked. Before they could spot him, Ace took off in the direction of his house.

He naively believed-- _ he hoped _\-- that this full moon would go the same as all the moons before it. He decided to not go into town those few days before the moon, the last thing he wanted was the added stress of whatever the fuck the Whitebeard’s were trying to do right before the full moon. 

Maybe he should have gone into town. Maybe he should have moved away the day he ran into Whitebeard. Maybe he should have never moved here in the first place but it was too late for regrets now, he thought as he sprinted towards his house. He could already feel his body starting to change but he willed himself to stay human. If he let himself transform now he’d be a sitting duck, it hurt him more later but he couldn’t risk it. He had to get to safety first.

As his house came into sight he heard the sound of paws hitting the ground behind him and he willed himself to run faster. _He was almost there! _He just had to push himself a little further!

He ignored the way his lungs started to burn and his heart was pounding loudly in his ears as he stumbled and struggled to avoid tree roots and rocks until he reached his porch steps. Ace barely made it up the steps without tripping over his own feet and just managed to stumble inside after briefly fumbling with his door. His hands were almost too sweaty lock the door and deadbolt but the moment he heard that click he collapsed on the ground. 

He ripped his sweatshirt off and shoved his face into it in a vain attempt at muffling his whimpers and cries as he finally let the change over take him. He almost didn’t need to muffle himself as his bones shifted and reformed under his skin painfully, his whimpers were drowned out by loud cracks and crunches that filled his otherwise silent house.

After what felt like hours of agony did Ace’s body finally stop shifting and he slumped weakly against his door and he strained his ears to listen. Nothing sounded out of place but Ace knew they were out there. They had found him and he didn’t know what to do.

Instinctively Ace cowered into the nearest corner and whimpered softly as he tried to hide himself away. Maybe if he stayed quiet and hid they’d leave. It wasn’t likely but Ace still begged the universe to have _ some _ mercy on him. Somewhere outside a branch snapped, he could hear them start to circle his home, he could hear gruff barks that he knew were them communicating something with each other. He couldn’t _think_ he was so scared.

Ace was barely holding back sobs as his body shook and his claws dug into his carpeted floor in an attempt at grounding himself. His instincts begged him to run, to defend himself but he knew that wouldn’t work. If he even tried to leave his house he’d be dead in an instant, the second they saw him they would know just how alone he was, how _ weak he was. _

There was another bark outside and Ace was ashamed at the loud whine he let out in response and he ripped his claws out of his floor before trying to clamp his muzzle shut, the nails dug into his skin and he could smell his blood before he could feel it rolling down his fur but he didn’t care. He had to keep quiet. 

Another bark sounded-- this one sounded like it was right outside his door, when did they get on his porch?-- and his claws dug into his skin harder to prevent himself from crying out again. His mind was racing as he tried to press himself further into the corner, he was wishing he had left town the moment they suspected something but it was too late for regrets. It was too late for any kind of plan, all Ace could do was wait.

All Ace could do was wait and hope the Whitebeard’s were as merciful as rumors said cause now, his fate was in their hands.

* * *

Morning didn’t come fast enough. At some point Ace must’ve passed out and his body ached worse than it had in awhile and his ribs were covered in claw marks as were his thighs and arms, he was still bleeding from some of the scratches and they stung. Bruises were forming on his skin and there was even more blood drying under his nails and on the floor.

Other than the blood, his floor was also riddled with deep claw marks, he had scratched straight through the carpet and into the wood underneath. The wall he pushed himself into didn’t look much better but other than that his house didn’t look like he had transformed inside of it. Fear kept him from giving into his instincts too much and he could definitely feel the toll.

Ace didn’t need a mirror to know how bad he looked.

He wanted to sleep for a month and eat his body weight in meat but he couldn’t bring himself to move. Not when he couldn’t remember if the Whitebeard’s were still lurking outside. 

The last thing he remembered before it all went fuzzy was the wolves outside howling at something and maybe a fight but Ace wasn’t sure if it was real or his imagination running wild. Ace didn’t know how he survived the night with them out there.

His relief at still being alive was short lived when a knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts.

Ace stayed frozen, staring wide-eyed at the door hoping he was hearing things before there was another knock.

What should he do?! Answer? Ignore it?

What would they do? What did they want? What if they keep knocking-- What if they break the door down?! Wasn’t it enough to stalk him all night, why were they still here?! What were they trying to accomplish in all of this?! Was this all a game to them?!

There was more knocking and Ace quickly went from scared to angry. They fucked with him all night and now they were doing who knows what! Ace no longer cared that they were probably going to kill him. He was maybe a little out of it and irrational but he was going to give them a piece of his mind.

After throwing on some clothes-- which was more of an afterthought than he would care to admit-- Ace stormed back over to the door where whoever was on the other side _ was still knocking _.

He threw the door to see Whitebeard himself staring down at him and Ace was even angrier at the man’s concerned expression. He could see a few others from the pack lingering on his driveway, not approaching but just observing them.

“What?!” Ace snarled out but it didn’t seem to phase Whitebeard in the least, if anything he just looked relieved.

“You’re alright,” Whitebeard said, “We were-”

He was alright? HE WAS ALRIGHT?! He was_ pissed _was what he was!

Before Whitebeard could say anything else, Ace cut him off.

“What the hell is wrong with you all?!” Ace demanded, ignoring the taken aback expression on Whitebeard’s face, “What have I done to deserve this? Huh?”

“You-”

“I haven’t done anything! I stayed out of your territory!” Vaguely, Ace realized there were angry tears starting to run down his face and he could feel the energy building under his skin dangerously as the smell of smoke started to permeate the air but he didn’t care, “I never even made contact with any of you but you keep pushing me! I don’t know what you want-- I don’t care about what you want. What I want is to be left alone! LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Whitebeard’s eyes widened and he stumbled backwards before he could register what Ace had done. Ace slammed the door shut so hard the windows rattled a bit and there was a slight charred mark on the door frame, he made sure to click the locks shut before he fell back on his ass. He was whimpering, cradling his head as it throbbed at the energy he unwillingly sent out.

He had really fucked up now.

* * *

Whitebeard just stared at the door in shock, behind it, he could hear the other wolf whimpering but he couldn’t yet bring himself to move until he heard his children moving behind him. He raised his hand to stop them from coming any closer before turning and walking down the porch steps, he was trying to wrap his mind around what he just saw but he couldn't really wrap his head around it.

“Pops?” Thatch asked, eyeing the house behind him as Whitebeard approached, “What just-”

“Later,” Whitebeard said, “first we need to check in on Marco.”

His children looked at each other before nodding and they began to make their way back to their own territory.

The night before, he had sent Marco and a few of his other children had gone to the outskirts of Ace’s territory to make sure Teach didn’t breach it while Whitebeard and a couple more of his children guarded Ace. They had picked up Teach’s scent on the very outskirts of the woods and they briefly worried they were too late until they saw Ace wandering around before moon rise. The second Ace saw them he booked it back to his house where they followed in. Throughout the night they could hear the young wolf crying out in his house and Whitebeard had a hard time keeping his children, and admittedly himself, from trying to break in to check on him. Marco and his other children were also fairly vocal from the surrounding woods, Whitebeard couldn’t tell if they had found something or if they were just trying to ward off any unwanted guests. Whichever it was, Whitebeard knew they were safe and for them it went well.

It was safe to say it didn’t go smoothly for Ace though, especially seeing as the young wolf was clearly made very distressed by the whole situation. The second he opened the door Whitebeard could smell blood and from what he could see, there were dark marks under his eyes, tiny scabs on his face and his arms were bright red from scratches. He looked somewhere between exhausted, scared, and livid. They put him through that, they scared him into hiding and while they believed they were doing the right thing, Whitebeard was filled with regret the moment he saw the child. 

Whitebeard hated that they resorted to infringing on Ace’s territory, even if they didn’t feel like they had much of a choice but to do so. He had breached the child’s trust in what could be in an irreversible way and he didn’t blame the boy if he would have nothing to do with them now. He hoped that wasn’t the case but judging from his reaction to them that morning it was pretty likely.

All they could do was make sure he was safe from Teach and give him some space before reaching out again. Maybe he could explain their actions, even then, he had a right to be untrusting of them, but maybe he could at least offer some protection from Teach, even at a distance. They wouldn't let him get caught in the crossfire of their own problems with Teach.

But they would have to deal with that later, after Ace had a chance to recover. For now he would need information from Marco about how his mission went and see if he had any reason to suspect Teach may make a move anytime soon. He would also need to consult his oldest on the information_ he _ had gathered about Ace. He almost couldn't believe it himself.

A D., the child was a fucking_ D. _

Whitebeard just couldn’t believe it, he also couldn't believe he didn't figure it out sooner, it explained so much. The boy's off smell, his mannerisms and attitude, his appetite, dear Luna it explained his appetite. But still he was left with so many new questions. It seemed with every new piece of information they got on this brat he found they knew less than he had thought. But, Whitebeard_ did_ have his suspicions about what bloodline Ace was from. That much was obvious to him. Ace was her spitting image.

  
And, after all, Rogue always did have a _ fiery _ temper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Teach... Yet. But here is a little sneak peek what the D.'s really are, after all Roger couldn't have been a human if he was the King of the Monster and who said only humans could be turned into werewolves~~
> 
> As always thanks for reading!!! And comments are always appreciated!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace gets an unexpected apology and the Whitebeard's intend to right their wrongs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this chapter came out late!! I got hit with that executive dysfunction-hyperfixation combo and I really forgot to finish this up lmao. Can't say that won't happen again but I got this chapter out and hopefully the next will be on time for my own sake

After the Whitebeards left, Ace spent the next few days at home trying to recover-- and fix the damage he had done to his house. He was exhausted and frustrated and terrified. Each morning he woke up in a panic after dreaming they came back for him, he would sit stock still while straining to listen for the sound of wolves. 

Their smell still lingered outside of his house and that didn’t help his paranoia in the slightest. He could barely step outside without worrying that they were around until it rained one night and the smell washed away. Ace wondered if his own scent was that easily overpowered by theirs or if Whitebeard had consciously marked his territory for himself.

Ace also couldn’t figure out why they had shown up in the first place. He fully expected them to linger in his territory even after he screamed at their pack leader to leave him alone, but they had left right after and he hadn’t seen them since. He couldn’t figure out what their motives were. They had to have had a reason for crossing into his territory but they just _ left _. They didn’t stick around or even mess with his house as far as he could tell and it was throwing him for a loop.

_ What did they want with him? _He kept asking himself that but he could never come up with a solid answer. They had no reason to have any interest in him. Part of him worried they were interested in him for the same reason Gramps hide him away in the first place but he dismissed that idea out of fear that it could be right. 

Ace had a plan though, he was going to relocate himself as soon as possible and avoid the Whitebeard’s at all cost until then. Too bad he still needed to go into town until he found somewhere to move. A little part of him wanted to ask them the next time he was in town, he didn’t doubt that he would see them again, but he wasn’t about to push his luck and approach them. 

But that wouldn’t stop them from approaching him.

* * *

It took a week for one of the Whitebeard’s to try and talk to him again. It was just like before the full moon, the one with the pompadour approached him just after he dropped off some packages. 

Ace was immediately on guard when he smelled the man but pompadour guy just held his hands up in a placating manner. In his right hand was a letter which he held out for Ace who eyed on warily.

“Here, we--well, _ Pops _, figured you’d like us to stay away but…” the man said, “he also wants to explain our actions and apologize and felt a letter would be the most appropriate way to do so.” 

Ace hesitated for a second before tentatively taking the letter from his hand, watching the man closely as he did. The second he had the letter in his hands he backed up a few steps, not breaking his stare as the man did the same.

“Well… I’ll leave you to it,” He said, “Have a good day and uh, please read the letter? When you have the time I mean?”

Again, Ace hesitated, before nodding, “I will…”

The man smiled and clapped his hands together, “Great! Thank you!”

With that the man gave him one last smile before leaving. Ace watched him go until he was out of sight then turned his attention to the letter in his hand after he was sure the man was gone. 

It was pretty inconspicuous, just a cream envelope with a purple wax seal which he recognized as the pack’s mark. Turning it over, he looked at the back, in black ink it said _ ‘For Ace’ _ in looping calligraphy, whoever wrote it had beautiful handwriting. There was nothing else to note about it but it felt like it was filled with lead in Ace’s hand.

Ace was tempted to just chuck it in the nearest garbage can and forget he ever got it but… he was curious. Ace slipped it in his coat pocket, careful not to bend it, and started towards his car. 

* * *

Ace sat on his couch, staring at the envelope in his hands. He got home hours ago, and he tried to forget about the letter but his mind kept wandering back to it. He should have burned it, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. He did say he would read it.

He let out a defeated sigh and grabbed his pocket knife from off the coffee table. In a fluid motion he slit the top of the envelope and pulled out the letter inside. Just like the envelope, the paper was a cream white, nothing to note was on the outside, and it was folded over three times on itself. 

His unfolded the letter with slightly shaky hands and he held his breath.

The letter was written in the same black ink and Ace noted that it was the same handwriting as well.

_ ‘Dear Ace,’ _ It began.

_ ‘First and foremost I want to apologize for mine and my pack’s behavior. Invading your territory is something we should have avoided and I deeply regret resorting to such actions. Due to the circumstances I felt it was inevitable at the time but I should have tried harder to find another solution to the problem at hand and I am sorry.’ _

Ace let out a confused noise at the first paragraph. He wasn’t really sure where this letter was headed.

_ ‘I suppose I’m not making much sense, am I? While this in no way excuses our actions, I hope you’ll at least understand why we did what we did and hopefully moving we can prevent any further mishaps on our end. _

_ As you may know, my pack has quite the reputation and we have our fair share of enemy packs. One of which, Marshal D. Teach, has been sniffing around our territory for some time. Around a year ago he let up and we assumed he had his sights on one of the other packs until recently one of my daughters confirmed he had plans on claiming the ‘empty’ territory to the east of us during the full moon.’ _

Ace sat up straight, he recognized the name. Shitty Gramps had mentioned that man before years ago. He had been a part of the Whitebeard’s pack before he got kicked out for trying to kill several other members in cold blood to gain himself notoriety if he was remembering right. Dadan had some choice words when he brought the news to Mt. Colubo, Teach hadn’t succeeded from what he heard but still, attacking a pack member for no reason wasn’t something most packs were fine with and Dadan was no exception even if she herself wasn't the most honorable person. She was never quiet with her disdain for wolves like that. Ace last heard Teach had formed his own pack and had been rumored to be in Alabasta when he left Dawn Island, but Ace hadn’t heard anything else after he cut contact with his old life. It made sense for him to come back for Whitebeard though, and he probably wouldn’t have realized Ace had moved in as he was a lone wolf.

_ ‘He must not have gotten the news that we already had a new neighbor. Although, maybe it's a good thing he didn’t know about you. Teach isn’t someone that grants mercy and I am sure he wouldn’t hesitate to harm anyone that gets in his way, even if it’s cowardly to attack a lone wolf. _

_ Teach did try to claim your territory but I wish he hadn’t. I wish our suspicions about him were wrong because now some part of me feels as though we made the right decision to protect you. But that isn’t right, we are still wrong and I cannot apologize enough, we should have found another way to keep him away from you but in our haste we were reckless and did more harm than good at the end of the day. _

_ I hope moving forward we can fix our wrongs but I understand it isn’t that simple and we need to stop being selfish and let you decide what the next step is. I do hope we can at the very least figure out how to prevent you from getting in the cross hairs of our pack’s own issues so that you can be left alone as you wish. I will leave you with my contact information incase you wish to get in touch with us._

_ Best regards, _

_ Edward Newgate’ _

Under the signature was a small card stapled to the letter, on it was a phone number and an email address that Ace assumed was Whitebeard’s. 

Ace read over the letter once more before putting it down on his coffee table. He didn’t know what to say, he had his answers but he didn’t know what to do with them. If he took the letter at face value, it really did seem that they had just made a stupid decision that they believed was for the best.

But he even if everything written in this letter was true, Ace wasn’t about to forgive them so easily. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew how easily the letter could just end up being a bunch of bullshit and if he wasn’t careful he could end up in a much worse predicament than the one he was already in. 

Ace folded the letter back up after taking the card off and putting the information in his phone. According to the letter, all the cards were in his hand, he just had to figure out what play he was going to make next.

* * *

It took days for one of them to see Ace again, and Whitebeard was more than a little relieved when Thatch came home from town, no letter in hand and a grin on his face that told them everything. He told them Ace had accepted the letter and he looked a bit on edge. Privately he told Whitebeard the kid really did look like they put him through the ringer but he figured his siblings didn’t need to know all the details. 

Now all that was left for them was to wait and see if Ace would get in contact with them or not. While he knew the chances of the child forgiving them were understandable near zero, he did hope they could find a way to prevent him from getting caught in any more of their own problems while still giving him his space, that was the least they could do to make up for the trouble and hurt they caused him if he let them.

Two days later an email came in from an account Whitebeard didn’t recognize. When he opened it, he smiled, maybe they did have a chance to fix this.

  


_ ‘I’d like to discuss what happened, in person._

__-Portgas D. Ace’ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, it wasn't super exciting but the next one is gonna be a lot more engaging I'd say!! As always comments are much appreciated, I love hearing what y'all think!!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace and Whitebeard meet and come to an agreement that works for both parties. But Ace doesn’t quite understand how he got so comfortable trusting someone he thought was a threat only days ago so quickly. Whitebeard and his pack only hope that Ace will continue to trust them in the future. His life may depend on it after all.

Ace would fully admit he regretted sending out the email as soon as he hit enter. He dwelled on the letter for a couple of days, re-reading it several times to the point that he could almost recite it word for word, before deciding he wanted more answers. So he made a throwaway email account and contacted Whitebeard.

At first he wrote several long drafts but deleted each one as they just ended up long winded and never actually got his opinion out. He was never good at getting his feelings out. The more he stared at the black document the more he wanted to actually talk to Whitebeard in person. If he talked in person then maybe he could actually verbalize what he was feeling. 

So instead of replying to the letter through email, Ace simply asked if they could talk in person and left it at that. He didn’t say when or where, instead he decided to just let Whitebeard get back to him first before making any plans. Part of him sort of hoped Whitebeard wouldn’t respond at all but he brushed his worried thoughts away and switched email accounts to focus on his shop and hopefully distract himself for a while. He’d check for an email back later when he’s calmer.

Ace worked until dinner, emailing customers and working on adding products to his shop, before he called it a night. He almost forgot to check for an answer back until he saw the apology letter on his kitchen counter when he was starting dinner. He made a quick meal and decided to check as he ate dinner.

His plan to be calm when responding went straight out the window when he saw the little ‘1’ in his inbox. He held his breath before clicking on the response. Who knew a fucking email would make him want to curl up in a ball and hide.

Ace almost felt a little silly for being so nervous when reading the response.

_’Hello, _

_Firstly, I’m grateful you’ve chosen to reach out. Thank you. Secondly, I’m more than willing to meet in person to discuss things. Please let me know when and where you wish to meet, my schedule is open for the most part, so I should be available or at least able to work around your schedule._

_Best Regards,_

_Edward Newgate’_

Ace read over the response a few times before sending an email back, asking to meet around lunch in a couple days at the park in the western part of town, there was a small cafe they could sit and talk at or they could go into the park if Whitebeard felt like they needed more privacy and Ace would still be in public enough to feel safe. He almost asked to meet at Bonney’s or close to his own territory but when he thought about it, he really didn’t want to meet somewhere he frequented or close to his territory. 

Whitebeard replied quickly, confirming that the time and location worked for him and that he would see Ace in a couple days before wishing him a good night and Ace’s fate was sealed.

* * *

Ace was fifteen minutes earlier for their meetup due to his own nerves. If he showed up early then he chad time to get a drink and hopefully calm down a bit before Whitebeard arrived. He could also think over what he wanted to say. 

He was still searching for somewhere else to live but he couldn’t really afford it, and even if he could afford it finding somewhere to move that was safe was slow going. Currently it looked like he might have to move to the complete other side of the world which he really didn’t want to do but it was starting to look like he had no choice. 

  
Ace was brought out of his thoughts when the bell over the door chimed out and a large figure walked in through the door. Just as he expected, Whitebeard had arrived. With a quick glance at his phone, Ace discovered he had spent the last fifteen minutes stuck in his own head. 

Whitebeard found him quickly and walked over, he paused at the table for a second before Ace gestured for him to sit down.

“Hello,” Whitebeard greeted him with a warm smile, “thank you for meeting with me, I hope I haven’t kept you waiting long.”

“Nah,” Ace said a bit awkwardly, “I, uh, do you want to order anything? Then we can talk?”

“That sounds good,” Whitebeard said and got up to go to the counter. 

Ace took the opportunity to go back over what he wanted to ask in his head. He only really wanted to know the basics, like why they were interested in him in the first place, what he needed to do to be left alone, and how much danger he was in, from them or from Teach.

It only took a couple of minutes before Whitebeard sat back down in front of Ace and took a sip of his drink. He seemed to be waiting for Ace to speak first so after a couple of seconds of silence he started.

“So, thank you for the letter, it helped clear somethings up but,” Ace started, “I still have a couple of questions.”

Whitebeard nodded, “I’ll be sure to answer anything you ask. That’s the least I can do.”

Ace took a deep breath before choosing what to ask first.

“I guess, first of all, what can I do to be left alone by you? I… I know this isn’t exactly a normal situation and it may be hard to believe, but I really just want to be alone,” Ace said, “at least until can find somewhere else.”

“I can assure you that you don’t have to do anything to get us out of your hair, nor do you have to move. Our main goal here is to keep you from getting caught in our pack’s own problems and as of now we don’t really know how to keep Teach away from you without causing you any more distress than we already have. Sadly that may mean, depending on Teach’s behavior, we might need to find out a way to keep him out of your territory without making you too uncomfortable.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, the only plans we have as of now involve us being in your territory somehow temporarily. Just until Teach starts to believe it’s our territory and we can drive him away.”

Ace didn’t hide the grimace that spread across his face, he really didn’t want that but he also saw his point. If Teach believed it was their territory then maybe he would leave it alone and try to claim someplace else. But…

“What if he takes that as a challenge, and tries to fight you for the land?” Ace asked.

“We’ve discussed that possibility as well,” Whitebeard said rather solemnly, “He isn’t the type to give up what he wants that easily but from our understanding, Kaido has been having some territory trouble lately and if I know Teach then he may turn his focus on that if it looks promising. If we can use that to our advantage then we can hopefully fool him long enough to keep you safe until then. And we don’t plan on doing anything you aren’t comfortable with, if we can’t come up with a plan before the next moon, then I am willing to resort to attacking Teach first to ward him off. Though I’d rather not if it can be helped, the outcome for that is a little too unpredictable for me to be confident in putting my pack or you in that situation. So if we can find a middle ground that you are alright with that would be ideal.”

Ace nodded, “Yeah, okay… I’m not going to agree to anything today, but I want to hear your plans.”

Whitebeard smiled, he seemed happy that Ace was at least willing to hear him out.

“I’m glad you are willing to hear us out on this,” Whitebeard said, “Now our main plan is to make it seem as though we’ve claimed your territory. The easiest way we can do that without overstepping your boundaries too much would be to spend the next moon on the outskirts of your territory.”

Ace nodded along, “That way it smells like you all along the outskirts but the majority of my space and I am left alone during the moon?”

“Exactly.” Whitebeard confirmed, “It’s not ideal, but…”

“It wouldn’t be the worst thing if it keeps Teach away.” Ace finished then sighed, “Listen, I’m not too keen on that plan, but I’ll… I’ll think about it, okay?”

“That’s more than okay,” Whitebeard said, “Our other idea was to see if you’d stay in our territory while we keep Teach out of yours but I don’t think you’d want to stay with my children by any chance?”

“I think I’ll pass,” Ace said dryly. 

Whitebeard just laughed loudly at that, “It was worth a try.”

Ace rolled his eyes, he decided to ignore the comment and the odd feeling that bloomed in his chest at the fond look that appeared in Whitebeard's eyes. Ace asked more on Whitebeard’s plans which somehow evolved into Ace asking more and more questions about Whitebeard’s pack. Ace even answered a few of Whitebeard’s own questions about himself.

It was surprisingly easy for Ace to talk to Whitebeard once he started he almost didn’t want to stop but before he knew it his drink was cold and the conversation had turned from strictly business into something much friendlier. They had been talking about TV shows for the past twenty minutes when Whitebeard’s phone rang.

“Ah, excuse me, I should take this,” Whitebeard said, answering his phone after Ace gave him a nod. He got up and took a step outside for a couple of minutes while Ace waited. They had definitely talked a lot longer than Ace had anticipated.

When Whitebeard came back to their table he had a look on his face that was a cross between amused, affectionate, and annoyed.

“Is everything alright?” Ace asked.

“Everything is quiet fine,” Whitebeard laughed, “I’m not sure what happened but some of my pack decided to cause a little trouble and I should probably head home before they do too much damage. I’m sorry for ending this meeting so abruptly.”

Ace waved him off, “It’s fine, I should head home too…” Then he added, “If it’s not too much trouble though, if you hear anything more on Teach, I’d like to hear about it.”

“Of course,” Whitebeard said, “I’ll let you know any updates.”

“Thank you,” Ace said before getting up and extending his hand, “Till we talk again?”

Whitebeard smiled and took his hand, “until we talk again. Stay safe, child.”

With that they parted ways, Whitebeard headed back to his territory and Ace to his.

Ace wondered how he got so comfortable with someone he was so sure was trying to hurt him just days ago but here he was, leaving a meeting with the most powerful werewolf in the world, feeling like he had just had a friendly lunch with a close friend. It was weird to say the least and Ace didn’t want to admit to himself how much he liked it.

* * *

Whitebeard kept in contact with Ace almost daily until the full moon started to approach. They discussed what they were going to do and after a few days of thought, Ace met him again at that same cafe to tell him that he would be alright with them being in his territory to ward off Teach so long as they stayed away from him and his home. Whitebeard agreed to those terms quickly, while he would be a little more comfortable if Ace would allow one of them to stick somewhat close to him, he knew that would probably be too much for Ace to handle. Hopefully it would be enough just being there to keep Teach away.

In the days leading up to the full moon, Whitebeard prepared his pack and made sure they knew what the plan was. It would be him and several of his children patrol the borders of Ace’s territory during the moon, Whitebeard would check in on Ace once during the night and again in the morning without his pack and then they would leave him be unless Ace said otherwise. 

_Or at least that was their plan._

On the day of the full moon, Whitebeard had just met back up with his pack after checking in on Ace one last time before night fell. His children were all gathered in a small clearing while waiting for sunset.

Marco looked up from his phone to acknowledge him with a nod before he put his phone away. “Everything is ready back home, Pops. How’s the kid?”

“He’s fine, he knows who’s here and he knows where to find us if he needs anything.” Whitebeard said, looking up at the sky. They didn’t have much more time till the moon was up and Whitebeard couldn’t help but feel something was wrong. He wanted to secure the area as soon as possible to calm his nerves. “I want you to take Fossa and Kingdew to do a perimeter check and make sure Teach and his pack aren’t snooping around.”

Marco opened his mouth to speak when the wind shifted, carrying an unfamiliar scent into the clearing and everyone froze. The Whitebeard’s turned towards the scent just to see a group of wolves come through the trees. The one leading the group shifted into a human form as they got closer.

“Would it really be so bad if we were snooping around, Newgate?” The wolf asked.

“Laffitte,” Whitebeard couldn’t keep the anger out of his voice and from the low growls around him, his children felt similar, “What are you doing in our territory? And where is your leader?”

“Now, now,” Laffitte said, looking all too cocky for Whitebeard’s liking, “We aren’t here to cause you trouble. We aren’t even interested in _your_ territory.”

“Heh, do you take me for a fool, brat?” Whitebeard was quickly losing his patience, “I’ll ask again, where is Teach?”

“I’m not lying,” Laffitte said, “Teach isn’t interested in fighting _you_ for this territory.”

The sun just started to disappear behind the trees and in the dying light Whitebeard saw Laffitte’s grin turn lethal as the quiet of the forest was broken by howling in the distance.

“After all, it's not you he has to fight for it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... we’re getting pretty close to to that hug I promised... (and Teach getting a swift kick to the balls cause he deserves it). 
> 
> Anyways!!! Thanks for reading!!! Hope y’all enjoyed this chapter!!! And as always comments keep me going!!! See ya next week!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whitebeard races to save Ace and Ace enters a fight for his life against Teach. Who will win and who will lose?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little late, but it’s better late than never, yeah? Anyways... small heads up, little bit of violence in this chapter but it’s not bad imo, nothing worse than what’s actually in one piece.

_ “After all, it's not you he has to fight for it.” _

Whitebeard’s blood ran cold as Laffitte continued to talk, for the moment he was too stunned to react.

“Really, after the last moon, we thought we had no chance of securing this territory. We thought we missed the news of the Whitebeard’s expanding their territory,” Laffitte continued, “Fortunately, we had a _ friend _in town when you had your rendezvous with the lone wolf. He was able to get us all the information we needed just from a little eavesdropping.”

Another howl from Ace rang out in the distance, but it wasn’t like before. No, this one sounded almost like a scream, following it was a series of barks and loud cries that set Whitebeard in action immediately.

“Marco!” Whitebeard ordered, knowing his son would know what to do. He spun on his heel and transformed smoothly, his front paws hit the ground just as he was fully changed, propelling himself towards the forest. Behind him, Marco sprung into action with his other children, they would keep Laffitte and the other wolves away so he could go to find Ace.

He only hoped he could get to Ace before it was too late.

* * *

Ace watched Whitebeard leave, he wasn’t super confident about this plan but as hard as they tried, they couldn’t come up with any other plan that Ace was comfortable with. And Whitebeard promised to keep away from him… The question was if Whitebeard was going to keep that promise.

Ace didn’t know why he was going through with this plan. After all, he really didn’t know Whitebeard, he didn’t know the man’s reasoning for helping him and Whitebeard hadn’t done anything to prove he was sincere, for all he knew it could really just be a ruse. But still, Ace found it easy to let Whitebeard into his territory and he hated to admit it, but he felt _ safe _ around Whitebeard and he couldn’t figure out _ why _.

Whatever, he’d have to worry about that another time. There wasn’t much time before he’d transform. Ace was just finishing up preparing for the full moon,he double checked that he had a blanket and spare clothing ready if he forgot to try and get back to his house before sunrise. Once he was satisfied with everything, Ace sat down in the ground against a tree. Maybe it was a bad plan but Ace had decided _ not _to spend the night in his house to save his flooring and furniture from anymore full moon damage. He chose a small area, less than a couple hundred yards from his home, that he felt was a good place for him to seek refuge. It wasn’t too close to his home so he didn’t have to worry about damaging it but also close enough that he could get to a safe space if anything did go wrong.

Ace sighed, leaning back against the tree, he closed his eyes. He could already feel the transformation starting in his veins. His teeth ached in his mouth, his bones were shifting under his skin already, his senses began to sharpen to an almost painful degree and he took a deep, shuddering breath as the change overtook him.

Within seconds he was folded over on his knees, gritting his teeth against the transformation. In the back of his head, Ace duly noted that the transformation was slightly less excruciating than usual. Before he could really question it another transformation wave rushed through him and everything else seemed trivial as he focused on riding out the change.

Once everything was over, Ace slowly blinked, rising to his feet-- well _ paws _ now-- and looked around. He felt a bit disoriented as usual but at least he wasn’t panicking like he usually was, which was both good and concerning but he could think about that later.

Ace took a few moments to breathe, to take it all in, before letting out a long howl. He had promised to let Whitebeard know he had transformed without trouble, Whitebeard would signal back and then they wouldn’t do another check in until about half-way through the night, after that they would go without contact until morning. Whitebeard had brought up the idea of checking in more frequently or staying closer by but Ace quickly shot down both ideas and thankfully Whitebeard dropped it after that.

Ace tried to pick up Whitebeard’s response but there was nothing but the static silence of the night. He was almost about to howl again when he caught the faintest whiff of something and the howl died in his throat. Ace slowly sniffed the air, trying to catch the scent again. Panic slowly started to build in his gut.

He knew he smelled _ something _ but he wasn’t sure what it was… It smelled like another wolf, he was sure of that, and Ace would have just assumed he was picking up on Whitebeard or one of his pack’s scents but he was _ all _ too familiar with Whitebeard’s scent by now and Ace was fairly confident he could probably tell each and every one the Whitebeard’s scents just from how often he met up with the man and how much he smelled like his pack.

No.

No, this wasn’t one of the Whitebeard’s.

Ace glanced around, cautiously looking for who he was smelling. He was _ positive _ it was another wolf, but he couldn’t tell where the scent came from. It was almost like he was surrounded but that couldn’t be right, he knew he was only smelling one other wolf. Where was it--

_ Crack. _

Ace spun around, eyes wide, staring into the forest. _ What was that?! _

He swore he just heard--

_ Snap. _

Behind him! Ace spun around again. But wasn’t the other noise from over--

_ Crack. _

_ Crack. _

_ Snap. _

_ Crack. _

_ Snap. _

Sounds kept coming from each direction, _ crack, _Ace was spinning around frantically trying to figure out where the noises were coming from when they stopped without warning. Ace stood stock still, somehow the abrupt silence was more alarming than the consent onslaught of sound.

_ Grrrrr. _

A low snarl from behind Ace made him freeze in place, his blood ran cold. He didn’t want to turn around, a childish part of him hoped that if he ignored it that he would be fine but another snarl had him stumbling forwards and holding back a surprised whimper as he turned around just in time to see a wolf coming out of the brush.

It was huge-- not nearly as big as Ace remembered Whitebeard being but still so much bigger, so much _ healthier _ and _ stronger _looking than Ace was. It was completely covered in dark fur that helped it blend into the shadows of the forest, its fangs were bared in a snarl that if it were in a human form, Ace was sure would be a smirk. The wolf was Teach, Ace was sure of it. Who else could it be?

With every step Teach took closer, Ace took one back. His ears dropped low as he crept backwards, he let out a warning growl that he probably sounded pathetic.

Teach apparently thought so if the scoff-sounding bark he gave was any indication. 

Ace kept his eyes glued to Teach as his mind raced, trying to come up with a plan. He couldn’t fight Teach, that would be a death sentence. He doubted that Teach would let him stall for much longer without making a move either.

So Ace did something that was probably incrediblely stupid.

He straightened up, threw his head back, and howled as loudly as he could hoping Whitebeard-- _ someone _ \-- would get the message that he was in danger _ . _

Teach was momentarily stunned by his action and Ace took the opportunity and ran with it. _ Literally. _

Ace may not be as healthy or fast as Teach but he knew his territory well, hopefully that would be enough to keep him alive until help came. Behind him, Teach let out a startled bark before chasing after him. 

Teach was fast, Ace struggled to keep him from getting too close. He managed though, by taking sudden, sharp turns and going through tight areas helped to slow Teach down just enough to keep him at a safe distance. 

But Ace’s soon ran out and all it took was one wrong turn and his paw getting caught against a tree root hidden under fallen leaves for Teach to get the upper hand.

Ace couldn’t stop the cry of pain that tore from his throat as Teach tackled him, slamming his entire body weight into him. He saw stars for a moment before coming to his senses as Teach reared up to attack again and he barely managed to escape from under him before Teach slammed down where Ace was moments ago. 

Teach snarled as Ace struggled to get his footing and try to get away only for Teach to strike again, this time he didn’t miss. Teach’s jaws clamped down on Ace’s back leg, his fangs pierced through Ace’s skin, embedding themselves into his bones.

If he was able, Ace would have screamed but nothing came out as Teach dragged him back by his leg before releasing him. He didn’t give Ace even a moment to recover before he attacked once more, this time going for his chest, Teach’s claws came down on his ribs, ripping through his skin before the sickening sound of cracking bones rang out over Ace’s cries. The smell of blood and fear permeated the air as Teach continued to assault Ace.

Maybe Teach intended on ending Ace’s life quickly but now he seemed to be savoring his suffering, he wanted the end of his life to be as painful as possible. Teach kept a paw on Ace’s chest, claws digging into the fresh wound as he watched Ace struggle weakly to get away only to cry out in pain. 

Teach licked his maw, eyes glinting in the light-- if the wolf could monologue, Ace was sure he would-- then he backed off of him. It was a surprise but Ace didn’t hesitate to make an attempt at escape, he could barely put any weight on his back leg. Still, he managed to drag himself a few feet away before Teach crushed his dreams of escape with a heavy blow to his shoulder blades and he was on the ground again, whimpering in pain with his chest against the dirt. 

He loomed over Ace with what could only be described as a look of smug satisfaction, before lifting himself off of Ace once more. This time Ace hesitated, Teach was mocking him. He knew Ace was too injured to get away, he didn’t stand a chance at escape but he was enjoying Ace’s attempts, how he was still fighting for survival so futility. Ace would still try, he didn’t care that it was pointless, he didn’t care, he didn’t want to die so easily. 

So Ace tried to escape again, only to get pinned down again by a guffawing wolf before he was released again.

Teach got cocky though. That time, before Teach could pin him again, a blur of white fur struck the wolf from the side. Ace made a noise of surprise that was drowned out by Teach’s own bark. Whitebeard appeared out of nowhere, neither wolf heard or smelled him get close, too focused on their own fight, and he took that advantage.

Whitebeard snarled, a noise so low Ace swore he felt it in his bones, as he put himself between Ace and Teach, his back to Ace’s broken body laying on the forest floor, almost blocking his view of Teach completely. Teach paced back and forth, looking for an opening to attack but Whitebeard stayed still, watching his every move with a stoney glare.

Teach howled, before hunching over with a growl. Whitebeard mimicked the action, growling as well, for a few seconds they stared each other down before Teach charged forward with an attack. Whitebeard blocked the attack, counterattacking. Teach might have been strong compared to Ace, but he didn’t stand a chance against Whitebeard, he was outclassed in both size and strength. Whitebeard could knock him over with a single strike to the head and didn’t seem phased in the slightest when Teach would try to do the same. 

The only time Teach even came close to giving him a serious injury was when he got a lucky hit to Whitebeard’s muzzle, drawing blood. Ace cried out when that happened, the blood stood out starkly from Whitebeard’s white fur and it honestly _ terrified _ Ace, for a moment he feared that Whitebeard might truly be hurt and Ace was to hurt to help him but Whitebeard just laughed-- as much as a wolf could laugh at least-- and glanced back at Ace, he swore he was giving Ace a smile, before turning back to Teach. 

Whitebeard bore his teeth, snarling, and that was all the warning he gave before he tackled Teach. He wasted no time tearing into Teach, his fur did little to stop Whitebeard’s fangs from ripping into his flesh. But he didn’t get a proper hold on him and Teach broke free the moment he could, rolling out from under Whitebeard’s next attack. Whitebeard made no move to attack again though, he just waited for Teach to make another move.

Teach looked between Whitebeard and Ace, deciding what to do before Whitebeard took a step closer with a low growl and Teach’s ears flattened against his head. He took one last glance at Ace before retreating with his tail between his legs.

Whitebeard watched him go before turning his attention to Ace. The snarl on his face melted off and he assessed him with oddly soft eyes, he made a hesitant step towards him and Ace’s body went rigid but he didn’t try to stop him, he just watched as Whitebeard approached him. Whitebeard stood over him, cautiously he lowered his head to Ace, sniffing at his wounds across his upper body before letting out a soft whine. Ace just whined back as Whitebeard laid down beside him, he covered most of Ace’s body with his own while carefully, making sure not to jostle Ace too much, successfully shielding Ace from the rest of the world. Ace hadn’t felt so small since he was a child, and he hadn’t felt as safe either, even if he would never admit it. 

Finally his exhaustion caught up with him and he started to drift off when Whitebeard bent his neck down to nuzzle the top of Ace’s head. Ace snapped at him with a warning growl, he may have just saved Ace’s life but he wasn’t about to let the man treat him like his own pup. Whitebeard’s body rumbled with what was probably a chuckle and he gave Ace one last sniff before letting him drift off.

Ace snorted and rolled his eyes, settling down again when he sensed Whitebeard was going to let him be. In the morning he’d thank him for coming to his rescue and figure out what else they would need to do about Teach, but for now, all he wanted to do was sleep.

* * *

Whitebeard watched Ace as he slowly drifted off, instinctively he put his head over the young wolf in a protective manner. Internally, he was berating himself up over his poor timing in saving him. If he arrived even a few minutes later, Ace could have been dead and Whitebeard didn’t know what he would have done if that had happened. Ace put his trust in them and he nearly let him die, they should have planned better, took better measures to protect Ace and his territory, they should have done _ something _ to stop Teach from even getting into Ace’s territory. But they didn’t and now Ace had gotten hurt.

He hoped his pack had successfully warded off the rest of Teach’s pack and had gotten a hold of the rest of theirs. He’d need to get Ace some medical attention in the morning but thankfully as far as he could tell, none of Ace’s wounds seemed fatal but still, Ace wasn’t healing like a werewolf should.

Then again, Ace wasn’t anything like any other werewolf Whitebeard had ever encountered. Even if he overlooked Ace’s unique lack of scent, small size, and slow healing, which could all be attributed to his lack of pack, Ace’s fur was different to anything Whitebeard had seen. His dark fur was almost pure black but underneath it red fur made it look almost like fire, and being close to him Whitebeard could feel the child’s body heat was oddly high for a wolf. Maybe it was because Ace was a D., but no matter, Whitebeard could figure it all out in due time. For now he’d keep guard over the kid and wait for his pack,

Which, Whitebeard sniffed the air lazily, if his assumption was correct, they should be arriving shortly. 

In front of him, several wolves tumbled into their clearing, pulling on top of each other before detangling and looking around. Whitebeard watched in amusement as his children each perked up when they spotted him and Ace but they didn’t approach yet. Ace didn’t stir from his sleep, despite his children making a ruckus, and he just snorted in his sleep before attempting to burrow closer to him.

Marco was the first to get closer, his oldest hesitated but he approached. He briefly sniffed the air before looking at his father questioningly, tipping his head towards Ace. Whitebeard knew he was checking to see if they could check on Ace themselves and he shook his head.

He highly doubted Ace would appreciate his children invading his space, even if he was unconscious.

Marco huffed and sat down a few feet away, his other children closing in on them, and he could almost hear their complaints about not being able to check on their-- hopefully, soon to be-- newest brother. 

Whitebeard looked at them fondly before chuckling softly. They would be able to check on Ace later.

For now, they would have to just accept their Pops’ word and let the poor kid rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whitebeard to the rescue!! Ace is still gonna need some a doctor or smthing soon tho... but hey!! Werewolf cuddles are kinda close to a hug, right? (Don’t worry, he’ll still get a real hug after he gets some medical attention adhswdcgjqwsjhb)
> 
> But I’ll save that for the next chapter!!! Hope y’all enjoyed!! As always, comments n feedback keep me writing!! See ya next week!!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace wakes up in an unfamiliar place, where is he? How did he get there? What happened after Whitebeard saved him? And what comes next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, so sorry this chapter took so long to get out-- I got Pokémon Sword and I’ve been playing it nonstop in my free time and I only got around to actually writing this chapter instead of just planning it out... sorry afdjhadf
> 
> Anyways!!! Hope y’all enjoy this chapter!!! I had a lot of fun with it!!

Ace was warm and comfortable when he woke up, he was laying on something soft and wrapped in something safe smelling. Hesitantly, Ace forced himself to sit up and look around. He was in an unfamiliar room, sitting in a large bed full of overstuffed pillows, he was wearing an unbuttoned white and blue striped sleep shirt and pair of pale gray lounge pants. He had no idea what where he was or how he got there, but he could probably make a pretty good guess. The real question on his mind was _ why. _

The last thing Ace remembered was Whitebeard fighting off Teach and he remembered Whitebeard guarding him-- and him attempting to comfort Ace-- then it all went fuzzy. He must’ve passed out after that and Whitebeard must’ve brought him… Somewhere. 

He must not woken up when morning came and Whitebeard probably brought him someplace safe. He must’ve also taken care of Ace’s injuries if the bandages around his chest, the cast on his right leg, and the assortment of other scraps and bruises that had some funny smelling balm on them was any indication. None of his injuries hurt as much as they should have either so he probably had some sort of pain reliever in his system as well- maybe that explained why he was feeling so fuzzy-- which confused him but he was also grateful for. 

He didn’t really understand why they took the care to treat him, the plan was for them to leave once morning came but that clearly didn’t happen. Instead of waking up in the forest-- or even in his own home like Ace would have assumed Whitebeard would have left him if he wanted to leave him someplace safe-- and injured like usual, he was… clean, bandaged, and _ safe _.

That made him feel a little weird, his chest felt a bit tight but Ace didn’t think the tightness had anything to do with the bandages or bruised ribs. The feeling was familiar and it brought back bittersweet memories of the first time Sabo and Luffy were there for him after a full moon. They brought blankets and Sabo had a first aid kit at the ready to help. His brothers may not have really understood what it was like to be a werewolf or how tolling a full moon was on him but they were always there for him just like a pack. They were the closest thing to a pack he’d ever hoped to have... 

Ace’s breath hitched and he scrubbed his eyes to clear his head. He shouldn’t be thinking about the past, he needed to get his bearings, he was missing a lot of information. He needed to find out what else happened the night before, why they continued to take care of him after the morning came, and what their next move was going to be.

Ace looked around, well he wasn’t going to find any answers staying in bed and there was a door right over there. He should try to get up and look around for someone to ask.

Before he could try the door to the room he was in swung open, making jump in surprise, eyes wide. Across the room one of the Whitebeard’s was staring at him, with a similar wide-eyed, shocked expression before he flustered.

“Ahh! Sorry!” The man said, coming in and closing the door behind him, “I hope I didn’t wake you?”

Ace blinked and shook his head, “No, I was already up… Uh… You’re Marco, right?”

The blond smiled, “Yeah, I don’t believe I’ve ever formally introduced myself. I’m Marco Fennick, Pops’ second in command. Pops asked me to check in on how you were doing, yoi.”

“Oh,” Ace nodded, now that he thought about it, Marco-- along with probably many other Whitebeard’-- had made an attempt at introducing himself during that period between Whitebeard running into him and the first moon they were in his territory but Ace usually blocked out most of what they were saying to him as he believed they were trying to trap him through small talk for nefarious reasons. Now that he knew the truth to their reasoning he felt a little silly looking back at it, they never did outwardly threaten him but still he didn’t know better. Now though, he wanted to at least introduce himself properly to the pack, and thank them for helping him and making sure to respect his boundaries as best as they could afford to. During Whitebeard’s many meetings with Ace in town and even his own frequent errand runs he never once saw-- or smelled-- any of the Whitebeard’s. 

“So, how are you feeling? You took one hell of a beating last night,” Marco said, sitting down in the chair beside Ace’s bed, handing him a glass of water and a couple white pills,“We were pretty worried about you.”

Ace swallowed the pills and downed the rest of the glass, then just stared down at his hands for a moment, thinking it over, “I’m… alright, I guess,” he paused, should he ask Marco about the night before or ask if Whitebeard was available to talk to him…

Well Whitebeard might be busy… And Ace didn’t really want to bother him or wait for him to be free to get answers… 

“Where am I?” Ace made up his mind and asked Marco, “I mean… I… I didn’t expect to be… It wasn’t a part of the plans for you to… take care of me after daybreak, I just expected you all to go back home.”

Marco gaped at him for a moment, then laughed in disbelief, “What? You expected us to just leave you alone in the forest to fend for yourself? While injured?”

“I mean, yeah, kinda?” Ace said.

Marco just stared in unmasked surprise before shaking his head, rubbing his temples and muttering under his breath, just quiet enough for Ace not to hear exactly what he said-- something about a hen?

“Huh?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Marco laughed again before reaching over and ruffling Ace’s hair, he ignored Ace’s noise of indignation as he stood up, he regarded Ace with a look he couldn’t quite place before smiling, “Listen, kid, you may not like or understand it, but we do care for you and we weren’t about to just leave you. Not after we put you in danger. We’re gonna do everything in our power to fix everything and to make sure you’re safe, yoi.”

Ace didn’t know what to say to that.

Marco gave him one last smile before heading to the door, “I’ll go tell Pops you’re awake. I’m sure he’ll want to speak with you.”

With that, Marco left and Ace was alone again.

* * *

Whitebeard knocked on the door, not even five minutes later, coming in with a tray that had something nice smelling on it in his hands. 

“Marco said you were awake,” Whitebeard said, “and I figured you might want something to eat while we talk.”

“You didn’t have to-“ Ace started, but was cut off by Whitebeard shaking his head as he made his way over to Ace and set the tray down on the bedside table.

“Nonsense,” Whitebeard sat in the chair, “Now, how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Ace said, “I do have some questions about last night though.”

Whitebeard nodded, “I figured as much, a lot happened last night after your attack.”

“Yeah?”

Whitebeard began to catch Ace up on what happened after he scared Teach off while Ace started to eat. Apparently Teach had a non-wolf ally that he planted in town to get information on Whitebeard and he happened to be in that cafe the first time they met. Whitebeard expressed how regretful he was for not making sure they were safe in their meetings. Teach, after finding out their plans, sent his pack to distract Whitebeard so that he could get an opening to kill Ace. He could have easily killed Ace at any point before the full moon, but Whitebeard figured he wanted to make a statement to them. 

“Once my children caused the rest of Teach’s pack to retreat with him they came back to guard us.” Whitebeard’s frown deepened, “I’m sorry I couldn’t get to you sooner than I did. You were needlessly hurt due to my carelessness”

Ace shook his head, setting his empty oatmeal bowl on the tray and picking up his tea mug, “It wasn’t your fault, you had no way of predicting that Teach knew our plan. We made a plan that best fit what we knew.”

“Still..” Whitebeard said, “But that is in the past. For now we must focus on what we should do to fix this. I wasn’t able to consult this with you before but I’ve assigned a few of my children to keep an eye on your territory, just in case Teach tries anything. I know that wasn’t a part of the plan nor is it something you… desired but…”

“I understand,” Ace said, and he did. He actually felt a little better knowing that Whitebeard was taking care of his territory, he felt like he could trust Whitebeard to keep his word by now. “Anything else happen?”

“No, we have gotten in contact with a few of our own allies but I have yet to hear back from any of them,” Whitebeard said, “Other than that, we have no new information for you, when we do you’ll be informed.”

Ace nodded, he had some other questions to ask but after eating and talking to Whitebeard-- who admittedly had a rather soothing presence-- and the fact that he was still recovering from the night before, the fatigue was really starting to kick in. And it seemed like Whitebeard noticed it.

“Well, it seems I’ve bothered you enough,” Whitebeard stood up, regarding him with a look that was similar to the one Marco gave before, “Why don’t you get some more rest and we will talk more later?”

Ace wanted to protest but he cut himself off with a yawn and decided it was best to relented to his own exhaustion, “Yeah, okay… That sounds good…”

Whitebeard smiled and picked up the tray as Ace settled back into bed. “Get some rest.” He said before making his way out.

Ace was back asleep by the time Whitebeard closed the door.

* * *

Whitebeard made his way down to the kitchen to discard of Ace’s used dishes. He was glad Ace seemed okay-- well as okay as anyone could be in his situation-- and he was happy that Ace was alright with him having some of his children keeping watch of his territory. He had worked himself up over that last minute decision but he couldn't just leave Ace’s territory alone when Teach had shown he wasn’t above resorting to cheap tactics to get what he wanted but he also knew how much Ace loathed letting them in his territory in the first place. It had clearly been an internal struggle for Ace to agree to allow them in his territory in the first place and Whitebeard was really pushing his boundaries by having some of his children stay in Ace’s territory, especially while Ace wasn’t well enough to be there while they were in it.

But Ace had said he understood and Whitebeard trusted that Curiel and Kingdew would keep themselves and the other few with them to the edges of Ace’s territory and away from his home. They were smart enough to respect that.

Entering the kitchen, he found Thatch at his stove as usual and Marco drinking a cup of coffee at the island. The two of them paused the conversation they were having to look at him with questioning expressions. 

“Well?” Thatch started, “How is he? Marco won’t tell me anything I didn’t already know!”

Whitebeard chuckled, glancing at Marco who just sipped his coffee in faux innocence.

“He’s doing fine, he ate and we talked a bit but now he’s resting again.” Whitebeard sat the used dishes in the sink to deal with later, “We’ll talk more when he wakes up again but until then he needs to rest.”

Thatch and Marco both nodded in understanding before Marco held up his phone.

“Curiel sent an update, yoi,” Marco said, changing the conversation a bit, “Teach hasn’t made any moves yet but Whitey Bay met up with them and she’s going to do a check with her coven for any thing Teach may’ve left behind that could help us if that’s alright?”

Whitebeard nodded, “Tell her to only search the edges of his territory and any entrances leading into it, I agree that we need to be thorough but that isn’t our home and until Ace gives us permission I don’t want her going to far into his territory.”

“Aye,” Marco said, sending them the update, “Jinbe also got back to us-- he said he wants to help if he can, he’d like a meeting in person but he can relay of the information through an email or video call if that’s more appropriate?”

“Again, I don’t want to make any solid plans like that without Ace’s input,” Whitebeard said, sitting down beside his son, “I suppose tell him that I will ask Ace’s opinion as soon as I can.”

Marco made a noise of affirmation, typing away at his phone before it buzzed, “Alright, last thing, Thatch wants to know if he’ll be able to see Ace next time he’s awake?”

Thatch made a noise, “You weren’t supposed to say that I asked that!”

“Oops,” Marco hide his smirk behind his coffee mug, “Didn’t see that part.”

Thatch glared at him for a moment before looking at Whitebeard, “Well? Can I? I’m itching to check up on him.”

Whitebeard laughed and shook his head, “Next time I talk to him you can bring him dinner if he’s awake by then.”

Thatch grinned, “Yes! Oh I should get started on dinner-- There's this recipe I’ve been meaning to try…” He started to talk about a stew recipe Haruta had been bugging him to make while Marco just snorted and taunted him, rehashing their usually argument about which one of them was more a mother hen to their siblings. Thatch snapped back about Marco being a dotting pigeon and how he had no room to talk while he started prepping dinner.

It was nice to just relax and listen to his children arguing, it felt good after the last few stressful days. It helped Whitebeard reinforce the hope that everything would turn out okay in the end for their family.

And that was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ace is finally starting to warm up to the Whitebeard’s for real!! And that means its hug time soon!! So, so soon!!!
> 
> Anyways!! Thanks for reading, I hoe y’all liked it!!! See ya next week!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace adjusts to being in Whitebeard’s territory and the Whitebeard’s try their best to help him feel safe while they also worry about the future which remains uncertain. One thing is for certain though, they are in for a lot more than they bargained for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another more mundane chapter before things pick back up again, hope you all enjoy!!!

True to his word, Whitebeard and Ace had another talk later that day when he woke up. He told Ace about the updates from his ally and children in his territory and what they wanted to do if they had his permission. Ace was hesitant to agree to meet with Whitebeard’s ally which was apparently expected. Whitebeard said Jinbe was a good man but he at least understood Ace’s trepidation about it. 

He did, however, agree to let Whitey Bay do a magic check of his territory when she called to ask. There was a chance that Teach might have gotten some non-wolf members in his pack considering that someone had spied on them in town before and Whitebeard couldn’t say for certain that none of them were witches or magic users so it was better to be safe than sorry. Ace could see the logic in that and agreed, Whitey Bay said she would send an update as soon as she was done, detailing in the state of his territory and any thing else she found.

Once Whitey Bay finished the call, Whitebeard asked if Ace would allow himself to be checked on by one of the nurses in his pack now that he was concious again-- apparently he was supposed to get them the first time Ace woke up but decided to let him sleep and they had given him quite the earful for it. That got a small laugh out of Ace.

“Despite how friendly they appear,” Whitebeard complained with a fond smile betraying his true feelings, “the nurses in this family can be quite mean when they want to be. Always scolding us and trying to restrict our fun.”

“That’s because you never listen to them, Pops,” someone said from the doorway making Ace stiffen, he hadn’t even heard the door open. “Ah, sorry to barge in but dinners ready and I thought I’d bring some up.” 

Whitebeard quirked an eyebrow at that but didn’t say anything, instead he shook his head and gestured to the man in the doorway. “Ace, this is my son Thatch Duff, he’s usually the one in charge of meals around here.”

“Oh,” Ace said and gave Thatch a hesitant wave, he recognized him right away but had actively tried to avoid talking or listening to any of them so the name wasn’t familiar. It was nice to know ‘Pompadour Guy’ had a name though. At least he could be polite now and introduce himself, “Hi, I’m Portgas D. Ace.”

Thatch faltered for a split second after hearing his name but covered it easily as he came closer with a tray holding two bowls of something that smelled just as nice as breakfast had, “Nice to meet you! I hope you like stew- - you don’t have any allergies or anything, right?”

“Nah,” Ace shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck a bit awkwardly, “I’ll eat pretty much anything.” 

“Good to know!” Thatch grinned, setting the with their food down on the bedside table, “I’ll be down in the kitchen if either of you needs second, enjoy!”

With one last smile, Thatch said goodbye and left the two other wolves to their dinner. After a beat of silence Whitebeard sighed and started to hand Ace his food.

“I must apologize in advance,” He said, grabbing his own bowl, “It’s not everyday we have someone new in our territory, even under these… less than ideal circumstances, my children are eager to meet you to put it lightly.”

Those words made Ace’s stomach flip and his heart race, he couldn't hear the rest of what Whitebeard was telling him over his heart pounding in his ears. Even though Whitebeard’s tone was nothing but calm-- a bit happy even-- his words terrified him. It reminded Ace that he was in unfamiliar territory, surrounded by wolves that could easily harm or kill him if they so choose to, even if he wasn’t bedriddened with his injuries.

He was royally screwed if they decided he wasn’t welcome there anymore. He would end up with injuries worse than anything Teach could have given to him. If he survived that is.

A large hand fell on his shoulder, making him look up at a concerned Whitebeard.

“Are you alright, son?” Whitebeard asked and Ace realized he had been zoning out.

“I’m fine!” Ace blurted out too quickly to be convincing, “Sorry, I’m just… just thinking… They want to meet me? Everyone?”

Whitebeard’s eyebrows raised before he caught on to what Ace was asking him, “They do, but I’ve made sure they know to give you some space. They might be excited but until told otherwise, only a few of my children have permission to be in this wing of the house and even fewer are allowed in your room and I know that they wouldn’t go against my orders. If you would like, I can ask for only those you are okay with being in this wing?”

That was a little reassuring. Ace still felt all too aware of just how many wolves there were under the same roof as him, but hopefully Whitebeard was right in that they would leave him be. 

So Ace gave Whitebeard a genuine, albeit strained, smile, “No, its alright.”

“Alright,” Whitebeard repeated before dropping it and changing the subject, “Let’s eat and then would you be alright with a nurse checking on you?”

That sounded good to Ace and he wordlessly nodded before he dug into his food. The stew was delicious and before he knew it he was fully engrossed in his meal to the point he didn’t notice Whitebeard watching him with the same fond look he wore when he talked about his pack.

* * *

“How is your breathing?” Joy, one of Whitebeard’s nurses, asked, “Does it hurt to breathe in?”

After eating, Whitebeard took their dishes and said he would come back with one of the nurses. The nurse in question barged into the room several minutes before Whitebeard could get back, muttering about how irresponsible it was for them to wait so long before coming to get her and then immediately set to work changing a shell shocked Ace’s bandages without even introducing herself. It was only when Whitebeard told her to stop and at least tell Ace her name that he understood what was happening. Ace was sure he’d feel embarrassed being manhandled and stripped by a stranger in front of Whitebeard if it all hadn’t happened so quickly. But he didn’t even get a chance to be embarrassed after it all set in because Joy immediately started asking questions.

“No,” Ace answered, cringing as he stopped himself from squirming away from her cold hands, “it's just sore…” Then he hissed as she pressed down on his upper right side, “Okay that hurts.”

“Not broken…” Joy muttered, more to herself than anything else, “Bruised maybe…”

Ace took to watching her work, answering her occasional questions as she checked his wounds, making sure none of his stitches had popped and nothing was bleeding before re-applying balm to the wounds and re-bandaging them. Then Joy stood up.

“Now to look at that leg of yours,” she said, hands on her hips, “Pops told me you were going to the bathroom and walking around without assistance earlier-- which I told him not to let you do! You could seriously injure yourself further walking around!”

That made Ace scowl at the woman, he wasn’t a child but the way she spoke to him was like she was repreminding one. Then again, Joy turned her attention to Whitebeard and continued to scold _ him _ for allowing Ace to walk around, so maybe the nurse spoke to everyone like that.

Whitebeard just smiled as he was scolded before Joy got frustrated with him and turned her attention back to Ace. Ace couldn’t stop himself from flinching once she faced him with the glare she’d been using on her pack leader before her expression softened and she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Whatever,” Joy said, sighing once more, “I’ll never get it through your head. Not through any of your heads.”

“I doubt,” Whitebeard said easily and without a hint of shame, “We’re a stubborn bunch.”

Joy rolled her eyes and moved to check on Ace’s leg, muttering under her breath the entire time. 

Once she was satisfied that Ace hadn’t made any of his injuries worse she went back to her bag to pull out a white bottle of pills.

“Everything looks fine, I’ll be back to change your bandages in the morning,” She told him, handing him the pill bottle, “For tonight you need to take two of these pills and get some rest. Got it?”

“I- uh, yes?” Ace said before nodding, “Yes. I understand.”

Joy gave him one more once over before saying goodbye turning around, telling Whitebeard on her way out she wanted to speak with him later. He agreed and stepped out from in front of the closed door to Ace’s room to let her out.

“I’m sorry for Joy’s brashness,” Whitebeard said after she left, “She’s used to dealing with her _ much _ less cooperative family.”

Ace shook his head, still a little dazed from all that just happened, “its fine.”

He decided not to say he wasn’t usually as cooperative himself. He usually couldn’t stand being cared for, he used to fight with his brother’s tooth and nail whenever he needed any medical attention which was often. 

Instead Ace reached for the glass of water he got at dinner that was on the nightstand and took the pills Joy gave him. After that Whitebeard gave him a small update on his territory-- which was apparently why he was so far behind Joy. One of his children had called when they found something suspicious which turned out to be something left behind by Teach and they were checking it out before sending it home to them when they did a shift switch for who was watching the territory. 

Whitebeard then told him that he should follow Joy’s instructions, they would find out more in the morning, and Ace could only agreed with that. He was exhausted all over again and after one last goodbye, Ace let himself settle back into bed and rest.

* * *

Whitebeard had barely sat down in his office when Joy burst in, she immediately started to give him an in-depth update on how Ace was healing.

“Far too slowly,” She said, “I’ve been a nurse for well over two centuries now and not once have I ever met a wolf that doesn’t heal from superficial wounds within a day. Not even a freshly turned one heals so slowly!”

Whitebeard didn’t say anything, he knew exactly what she meant, he knew she was asking him _ why _Ace wasn’t like any other wolf she had worked with before but he couldn’t give her any answers. Ace had confirmed he was a D.-- they hadn’t asked but he had inadvertently given them an answer to one of their many burning questions they had about him-- even with that information they couldn’t begin to even attempt to fathom what could be going on in the mind of a D.. Rodger was the only person that even had any clue to what being a D. meant.

Right now he would kill for a chance to talk to his old friend and rival again. Maybe he could provide some insight for them. Or at least provide some support in their endeavor to adopt this child.

“Pops?” Joy snapped her fingers to get his attention, “Are you listening to me?”

Whitebeard chuckled, “I’m sorry, my daughter. I just got a bit lost in thought.”

Joy rolled her eyes, “Should’ve expected that from the look you got. I’ll get Marco up to speed, he can at least _ pretend _ to be the responsible one long enough to listen to me.”

Despite her sarcasm and huffy attitude, Whitebeard saw through his child’s facade. He could also hear someone outside his office door, most likely trying to eavesdrop. He had a hunch to who it was.

“Or at least he’ll be worried enough to go into, what does Thatch call it? ‘Mama hen mode’?” Whitebeard said, smirking at the reaction it got from beyond his office.

Joy snorted, glancing at the door, no doubt hearing the muffled noises of her siblings behind it despite not having the same heightened senses some of her family had. 

“I guess that’s my cue to go,” She said, “I’ll be in the medical wing if you need me. Goodnight, Pops.”

“Goodnight, Joy,” Whitebeard said after her, not even bothering to hold back the laugh as she opened the door to the scene of two of his children trying-- and failing-- to appear like they weren’t just listening in on their conversation. “Marco! Thatch! What a surprise!”

“Haha, yup!” Thatch decided not to acknowledge the truth, “Just wanted to drop in and see if everything went okay! You didn’t really give us an update after dinner.”

Joy rolled her eyes once again, giving her pops a look over her brother’s shoulder that told him to send Marco her way after they were done talking before leaving and shutting the door behind her.

Whitebeard waited a moment and gestured for his sons to sit down. Once seated he started talking.

“Ace has agreed to have Whitey search his territory, which you-“ he looked at Marco, “have already been made aware of. He’s also promised to think about a meeting with Jinbe but has said he is fine with at least emailing Jinbe about a potential ally-ship.”

Thatch nodded but that clearly wasn’t what he wanted to hear about.

“_ And _ he enjoyed dinner,” Whitebeard said, watching in amusement at the satisfied look that came over Thatch.

“Good to know,” Thatch would almost sound smug if Whitebeard didn’t know his son as well as he did, “Is he resting now? Cause I made some pretty good mini-lava cakes if he’s still hungry?”

“He should be sleeping now,” Whitebeard informed, then added at the mildly crestfallen look on his face, “But I’m sure he’ll be up for trying more of your cooking tomorrow.” 

Thatch perked up immediately at that and Marco decided now was the time to ask more about what actually happened. Whitebeard caught him up to speed while Thatch interjected with his own opinions-- and jabs at his brother when appropriate-- until Marco brought up how long Ace would need to stay with them.

“Listen,” Marco said, “I’m fine if the kid decides he wants to stay with us forever but I don’t think _ he _ wants to stay with us for much longer. _ Especially _ now that he knows how many of us want to meet him. I doubt he took that information well…?”

“No,” Whitebeard said, “he didn’t. I slipped up and called him son and he didn’t even notice he got so stuck in his head about it. I’m not sure how much longer he will be okay with us but I doubt it will be much longer, he probably won’t want to wait until he’s healed up to leave either.”

“And he’s not healing right either, yoi?”

“Joy said she wanted to speak about that with you after your done here.”

“I’ll talk with her later then.” Marco had a deep frown, he was no doubt already thinking about what he could do to help and if he could maybe get in touch with a healer that could better help them-- _ if _ Ace would allow it that is. He’d been so open to letting them help so far but he was in no way _ comfortable _ with it.

It would be surprising if he allowed any outside help. And Whitebeard had his own reasons to keep it mostly within the pack and their closest allies.

If it got out of hand and the hunters organization caught wind of not only a territory battle but a lone wolf being the reason for conflict between The Whitebeard’s and The Blackbeard’s... It could take the situation from back to awful. _Fast._

The mere thought of dealing with Teach and the hunters was enough to make Whitebeard want a drink. He didn’t know what they could do if it came to that. Ace was in no way well enough to deal with another attack from Teach but they could at least count on the fact that Teach wouldn’t try to come into their territory to get to Ace. The hunters on the other hand were a different story. They wouldn’t hesitate to break werewolf customs and come into his territory. 

But even with the hunters staying out of it, they still had to deal with Teach. They hadn’t a clue what Teach’s next move would be and Ace couldn’t-- or at least _wouldn’t-- _stay in their territory much longer and Whitebeard feared with how weak he was now... Ace wasn’t healing like a wolf should. He couldn’t keep Ace in their territory until he healed against his will. _He won’t_. But he also couldn’t keep is own children in Ace’s territory to guard him if the child chose to be alone. If Ace did choose to be alone with the injuries he had now they couldn’t stop him.

Then what? Teach would no doubt take any opportunity to get back at them and next time Whitebeard might not be able to save Ace...

The three of them sat in silence for a while, each working through their own thoughts and wondering what move they would need to make next. Before they could spiral any further into thoughts of worry and fear, Thatch spoke up.

“Oh little wolf,” Thatch mused, breaking the silence, “how are we gonna help you?”

Neither Whitebeard or Marco said anything but when they met each other’s gaze the knew they were thinking the same thing.

_ Any way we can. _

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *shamelessly references Pokemon by using the name Joy for a nurse*
> 
> Lmao, more fluff!! Ace isn’t too keen on just how many (new siblings) of the pack want to meet meet him... They really are like a bunch of over excited dogs lol
> 
> Thanks for reading!!! Hope you all enjoyed!!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s not too bad staying with the Whitebeard Pack, at least in Ace’s opinion it’s pretty nice. But still, if Ace is to stay with them any longer he’d need some things from his home to keep himself sane. 
> 
> Marco had no idea what he’s was going to learn about the young wolf when he agreed to take him so his pack leader could attend a meeting with the other Yonko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter ended up being so long, like double what I normally write, I don’t know what happened but I mean... that’s not a bad thing i think?
> 
> Anyways!!! Hope y’all enjoy, I got a little Marco and Ace brotherly bonding written and I am happy about it!! And I hope everyone else is happy with it too!!

Four days. Ace had been living with the Whitebeards for four whole days and it had been… _ interesting _ to put it mildly. 

Three days ago Ace was woken up by some of the loudest screams, barks, and other miscellaneous crashes he had ever heard and before he could even try to investigate Marco showed up outside his door explaining it in two simple words. Prank war.

Prank wars happened _ way too _ often according to Marco, but Ace didn’t have to worry. Unless his siblings wanted to be cleaning every bathroom in the manor for the rest of the year, they wouldn’t dare involve Ace in any of their pranks. Marco was the one in charge of punishments when pranks were involved so they respected his authority on the matter.

Ace pretended not to notice Marco’s teeth were blue when he told him that.

Two days ago he got cleared to put weight on his leg and they took the cast off-- they told him the bone was still bruised at this point but he _ was _ healing, just not ‘correctly’ whatever that meant-- and he had taken to walking up and down the hallway outside of his room to keep himself from going mad staring at the same four walls of his room. A few times he caught scent of one of the Whitebeards nearby but just like Whitebeard told him, only a few were allowed in the wing he was residing in.

At first Ace worried he was taking up too much space in the Whitebeard’s home, having an entire _ wing _ to himself felt a little overkill. Then he realized just how _ massive _ their manor was. It had to be big for it to house a little under twenty wolves not to mention the nurses and non-wolf members of the family that lived in the main manor most of the time. And then there were apparently several other houses in the territory for the rest of Whitebeard’s pack that didn’t live in the main house.

Still, it was kind of surprising how little Ace had seen of the pack considering how many of them there were. 

So far he had meet Marco, Thatch, and Jozu. The three wolves were the highest ranking in the pack after Whitebeard himself. Then he met Izo, who wasn’t a wolf but actually a fox which wasn’t common here but not unheard of. She had introduced herself after barging into his room to drag Thatch out by his ear for ‘playing a stupid prank at a time like this’.

She seemed nice.

Then there were the nurses. Most often it was Joy was the one doing check ups on him but a couple of times there had been others checking on him in her place or helping Joy-- at one point they tried to insist on helping him bathe but he _ politely _declined their offer. He could handle that on his own, thank you.

He had yet to meet the one’s protecting his territory in person but he _ had _ spoken with Whitey Bay a couple of times over video calls and had a chance to read the updates sent by the two lead wolves in charge of his territory, Curiel and Kingdew. Whitebeard offered to set up a meeting between them, in person or otherwise, but in all honesty, Ace wasn’t up for meeting any other wolves in person yet so he stuck with just reading their updates when Whitebeard got them and promised to meet them later.

And one day ago Ace decided he absolutely _ couldn’t _ keep staying in Whitebeard’s territory as he was.

Not without having at least _ some _ of his own stuff with him that was. Sure he had clothing and the Whitebeard’s had made him feel as welcome as they could while letting him have his space, but he was going to go nuts without his stuff. His own clothing, his laptop, his phone, his meds-- it was almost Monday and he couldn’t skip his testosterone shots-- among other things. 

So that brought him to where he was now, standing in front of Marco, trying to look as professional as he could while wearing pajamas that didn’t fit.

“Back to your territory?” Marco asked, looking more than a little panicked, “I- we won’t stop you but don’t you think your not well enough-“

“I don’t mean permanently, I just need some of my things if I’m going to stay here until I’m healed up,” Ace cut him off, “I’ll come back afterwards. If I’m allowed to come back that is? If I’m not I can stay home?”

Ace stubbornly ignored the way his stomach flipped at the thought, he didn’t want to admit even to himself how scared he was that they might say he isn’t welcome with them anymore.

“Yes! Wait- No!” Marco blurted out then backtracked, “I mean yes. Yes, you are allowed to come back here, yoi.”

Ace just as stubbornly ignored the bone deep relief he felt when he heard that.

He didn’t want to deal with what those emotions could mean at that moment. He wanted a change of clothing that smelled like him and weren’t three sizes too big first before he would even attempt to sort through his feelings.

“So can I go?”

Marco hesitated before nodding, “I think? You may have to double check with pops-- I believe it should be feasible. But if something has come up...”

Ace knew. If Teach had tried anything between the last time Ace got an update and now… 

“Alright,” Ace said, “When can I speak with him?”

“I’m not sure, yoi.” Marco looked at his phone for the time, “He’s in a conference with some of our… _ allies _ right now. But after he’s done I’ll tell him to come and talk with you?”

“That sounds good to me,” Ace said, he started to turn back to his room before adding, “Thank you, Marco.”

”Not a problem, Ace.” 

* * *

“I only need a few things from home,” Ace explained to Whitebeard, “I understand its a lot to ask and you’ve already helped me so much but…”

Whitebeard waved his hand in dismissal, “It’s not a problem at all. If you want, I can arrange for Marco to drive you there today. After I talk with you about something that is.”

“Uh, yeah sure?” Ace furrowed his eyebrows but let Whitebeard guide him over to the chairs and table in his room so they could talk.

“Now, I’ll make it quick.” Whitebeard said, folding his hands on the table, “I’m sure you know who the Yonko are, yes?”

Ace nodded, “Yeah, there are four of you guys, right? You, Red-Hair, Big Mom, and The King of the Beast?”

“Correct, now I wouldn’t say we are _allies_ per say with Charlotte or Kaido but I do try to keep our interactions civil. And Shanks however we’ve been allied with for a while but that’s another story for another day,” Whitebeard explained and Ace nodded along, Marco must’ve meant the Yonko when he said Whitebeard was in a conference earlier, “Well, it wasn’t just your territory and ours that Teach was snooping around and the other Yonko don’t appreciate it.”

“Okay…?” Ace didn’t fully understand why he was being told this.

“But now they’ve heard about him actually attacking ‘my pack’ and they want answers.”

Oh.

_ Oh. _

“_What_?!“ Ace asked in shock.

“I’ve told them that Teach attacked a small new ally pack of ours in the territory adjacent to us,” Whitebeard said, smirking at Ace’s raised eyebrows when he heard him referring to Ace as a ‘pack’, “I’ve also told them that the pack is now staying in my territory until the leader has recovered from the injuries he sustained, while my pack keeps guard over the territory so they aren’t to set foot into either territory until further notice.”

“So, I’m a pack leader now?” Ace couldn’t help but find the irony in that statement. When he was a child he dreamed of having his own pack and then for the past five or so years he’d been rejecting even the thought of a pack and now he was apparently the leader of his own, one wolf pack according to what Whitebeard told his allies. Ace wouldn’t mention him being referred to as an ally, maybe that was just another fib to keep him safe but part of him liked the idea, even if it was just a lie he’d indulge the selfish part of him that wanted it for now.

“Well, while Charlotte and Kaido aren’t nearly as…” Whitebeard paused to find the words, “bloodthirsty as Teach is, they might find amusement in harassing a lone wolf and I’m not in the mood to deal with them thinking I’d allow them to play their games. Shanks on the other hand… I doubt you’d have to worry about him and his pack but he can be a bit much if you aren’t prepared.”

Ace just snorted, “You can say that again…” Then at Whitebeard’s questioning look he clarified after a moment, “I met him once-- back on my home island he… he saved someone I knew… and a few months after I moved away from the island I… I ran into him and thanked him, he’s…” Ace had to think about how he could word what he wanted to say without oversharing, “Shanks is a good guy but he knows how to party that’s for sure. Benn sure has his hands full keeping him out of trouble.”

“The brat does test his second in command’s patients almost as much as I test mine,” Whitebeard grinned, “I wasn’t aware you knew him.” 

Ace could hear the unspoken question of _ why _but just shrugged it off, “I was just passing through his territory when I met him, I didn’t really mean to, it just… happened.”

He didn’t know how to tell him he only met Shanks because he was being ran out of some other wolves’ territory and Shanks had stepped in at the last second because it was actually _ his _ territory and _they_ were trespassing. That’s when Ace recognized him-- it wasn’t hard, just how many red-headed, one armed, Luffy-like werewolves could exist in the world?-- and he couldn’t leave before introducing himself and thanking Shanks for saving his brother before he even knew he had a brother.

Shanks was surprised to hear Luffy had a brother and after taking a solid look at Ace he was suspicious, Ace could understand it. He wasn’t in good shape back then either, he knew he didn’t smell right-- no one could ever explain that so Gramps just attributed it to him being a D.-- and their meeting was also suspicious but after Ace re-accounted the story Luffy told him about how he met Shanks in the first place and a couple of his own stories about his little brother Shanks believed him.

Then Ace was rushed back to Shanks’ base to be fixed up, fed, and bombarded with questions about himself and Luffy. Ace could see why Luffy thought so highly of Shanks immediately, he and his pack were some of the most welcoming people Ace had ever met. All Shanks had to do was shout _ “I found Luffy’s brother!’ _ and Ace was treated like they had known him like they knew Luffy.

And he felt like it too, talking with them, listening to their stories-- even ones not about his brother-- and just existing with them. It was nice. Nice enough for him to forget how much he loathed being around other wolves and how long he had spent running from packs just so he could be alone. 

It was scary, how quickly Ace got comfortable with them, so he left as soon as he realized it.

In all he spent two days with the Red-Hair pack before they let him move on, after he declined Shanks’ offer to join them. Despite how much being alone again hurt he still left, he knew it was for the best anyways. Wolves like him weren’t meant to be a part of a pack and he’d only bring trouble for Shanks and his pack if he stayed. He couldn’t burden anyone else with his existence. 

Ace hadn’t seen any of them since then.

“I don’t suppose you’d want the Red-Hair pack to know you’re here then?” Whitebeard asked.

Ace shook his head, “No, I’d rather they didn’t know it’s me here. I… I don’t really want people to know where I am...?” 

“Understood,” Whitebeard said then stood up, “Well, I’ll get Marco to take you to your territory. I’m off for an actual meeting with the other Yonko now that I’ve told you about it. They aren’t interested in you or your territory right now but they do want to discuss _ Teach _ and what we are planning on doing about what he’s done. They don’t want him messing around in territory and I’m going so I can hopefully stop them from getting involved if I can.”

That made sense, he was glad they didn’t seem interested in _ who _ got attacked but rather what Whitebeard was planning to do next. If Whitebeard could keep them out of this then Ace could keep his existence low-key and maybe he could stay where he was once this whole thing was over if he was lucky.

Hopefully Whitebeard knew what he was doing.

* * *

Marco was a little hesitant to be the one driving Ace after Whitebeard told him where _ he _ was planning on going. Sure, the meetings with the other Yonko always left him with a headache that lasted for _ days _ but he didn’t like the idea of his leader going alone until Whitebeard said he was taking Thatch and Vista with him.

_ “I’ll tell them that I’ve left you in charge of our home territory and Jozu in charge of Ace’s territory. It’s not hard to believe I’ve entrusted my two highest ranking with guarding over the territories while I’m away. They won’t suspect a thing! It’s the perfect plan.” _

While Marco wouldn’t say it's the _ perfect _ plan, but it wasn't an awful plan and Pops said he would take Thatch and Vista with him in their place before he could even be asked to take backup. So Marco agreed and boy was he glad he did. 

The drive over to Ace’s territory was mostly silent save for a little bit of small talk until they got to town, then Ace got silent for the rest of the ride. Once they got to his house, Marco fully expected to be asked to stay in the car-- which he didn’t want to do but he could understand it. He at least wanted to help Ace with carrying his stuff as he shouldn’t be straining himself.

But Ace did let him in his house surprisingly enough and Marco didn’t know what to do. 

“My room is in the back but I’m pretty sure my bag is in the loft and…” Ace trailed off, gesturing to the ladder in the living room, “I don’t think I can climb right now.”

“Right,” Marco said, already climbing the ladder, “What should I be looking for?”

“It’s a green backpack, it looks kinda like a watermelon, and it only has one strap,” Ace said, watching Marco search, “I’m pretty sure it's either just laying on one of the tubs or in one label ‘junk’?”

Marco hummed in confirmation, looking around. The loft space wasn’t too crowded so it shouldn’t be too hard to find. The biggest problem was the lighting and fitting up there-- his knees and back were already upset so if he could find it quickly, that would be great.

“Think I found it,” Marco called down after looking into the first of many totes, then waved the backpack over the edge for Ace to see, “This it, yoi?”

“That’s the one! Thank you!”

Marco looked at the bag again and frowned before tossing it down, it wasn’t the biggest bag, “You sure you only need one?”

“Pretty sure, I think I only have that one anyways.”

Damnit, Marco _ knew _ he should have asked about bags. Maybe if they needed to they could use one of the totes if one was empty enough or maybe there was a bag or something in his car they could use.

Before he could ask, Ace had already made his way to what Marco could only assume was his room by the time he got down.

“You can sit down if you want, there’s a remote somewhere if you want to find it for the TV,” Ace said, looked back at Marco briefly, opening the door to his right, “or help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge if you’d like. Sorry I don’t have much for guest.”

“It’s alright,” Marco said, sitting on the couch, “If you need any help, let me know, yoi.”

“Alright.”

Ace didn’t end up asking for help so Marco spent his time mostly checking his phone for updates from Pops or his siblings before glancing around at Ace’s living room.

He _ was not _ going to snoop through Ace’s things but he did say he could look around so figured looking at the things Ace had laid out or hung on the walls were alright.

Marco took note that the house was definitely lived in, there were very few decorations but it was cozy. The couch had a very nice, worn quilt on it. The walls were sparsely covered with some photos-- almost all nature scenes but he could spot a few pictures of who Marco could only assume was Ace as a child but he didn’t recognize any other faces-- along with some other decorations that made him smile. Like an orange cowboy hat that he had personally seen Ace wear in town on multiple occasions, particularly during the summer. 

It became an endless source of entertainment for them after Haruta had loudly proclaimed that they wanted their own and would not budge on the issue much to Izo’s annoyance. That had spawned many _ heated _ arguments between the two which no one decided to try to stop. Himself included. 

Much to Haruta’s disappointment-- and Izo’s relief-- they never could find a hat as cool or offensive to their siblings eyes as Ace’s was. And once summer ended, Ace stopped wearing it out as much and so the subject eventually got dropped. 

The devious, mean older brother part of Marco wanted to ask Ace to bring it just to get a reaction from his siblings but decided against it just because he didn’t really want to deal with that currently.

Marco’s eyes drifted away from the infamous hat to a bookshelf that had more knickknacks on it than it did books. 

A small smile quirked at Marco’s lips as he went against his better judgment and went up to the bookshelf. He wouldn’t touch anything but his curiosity got the better of him.

There were a couple of pictures, one of Ace as a child and a couple other boys that looked about the same age, the picture was taken in a forest and each child was covered in dirt and bandages while holding each other and smiling. The next picture was pretty much the same, the three boys smiling more at each other than at the camera after what Marco hoped was just an eventful day. The only thing that changed was the location of each picture. 

There was something else that caught his attention, though.

In each picture where Ace’s shoulder was visible, Marco could see that one scar on it, clear as day. That scar was one of the main reasons they kept suspecting he was a werewolf in the first place, even when they couldn’t get a scent off of him. When morning came that one night and he got a good look at it and later on when the nurses confirmed that it was most likely done by a wolf attack _ at least_… It had to be a scar from being turned. 

But seeing it in those old photos just made Marco confused and concerned.

Ace was young in some of these pictures. He couldn’t have been older than eight or nine in some of them and he had that scar in those… 

Marco-- and the rest of the family-- had originally theorized that Ace was a recently turned werewolf and _ that _ may be the reason why he was of adverse to other wolves. That maybe he had been attacked and turned and was trying to get away from whoever turned him.

But now it seemed like Ace was turned as a child... And those two boys with him... Maybe those other boys were a part of a pack with Ace? That didn’t explain why he was so fearful of other wolves but Marco supposed it could stem from something else. 

And where were the boys in the photos now? Ace seemed close to them. Did he have a falling out with them? Were they the reason he was alone? Just what happened between these photos and now? 

He tore his eyes away from the photos to look somewhere else. Whatever happened to Ace really didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Sure, he would love to hear about Ace’s past, but what mattered more was what was happening now and what they were going to do from here on out to help him. 

Marco hummed to himself as he looked over the few books Ace had.

He had an interesting variety books. Mostly pocket guides for survival or books on craftsmanship but there were a few spell books here and there and a couple of children’s books that looked to be the most loved out of all of them. 

Then there were other knicknacks between the pictures and the books.

Animals carved from bone or wood, Marco couldn’t tell which. There were some crystals and rocks, some carved, some not. Everything looked handmade and stylized in a way that made him wonder if Ace made them. He heard from Pops that Ace apparently ran his own business. Something about handmade pieces. If these were some of his works then he was good at it. 

Marco then frowned, the responsible part of him wondered if Ace had work he needed to do. Despite how young he was, he was an adult and he had his own problems to deal with.

“You run your own shop, right?” Marco asked just as Ace’s bedroom door opened.

“Huh?” Ace looked confused, Marco spared him a glance, noting Ace had changed into some of his own clothing and he also had a laptop bag along with his watermelon backpack, before gesturing to the bookshelf.

“Pops said you have your own shop,” he explained, “And in town, you ship out a lot of things, right, yoi? You aren’t behind on anything are you?”

“Oh,” Ace said then shrugged, “A little but I put up a notice before the full moon that I’d be a bit behind on orders for a while….” 

Marco took a quick look at his phone, “Well, we’ve got time before the post office closes if you’d like to take care of any orders.”

“It’s alright,” Ace said, “I’ve already gotten out all of my completed stuff and I don’t think I can fit a table saw and my dremel kit in your car.”

“Hmm, yeah probably not, yoi.” Marco agreed, “But if you need to get some work done, we can figure something out?”

“I don’t think I’ll need to but thank you for the offer. Anyways, I’ve got everything I need for now, I just need to pack up my computer bag.”

Ace was already by his coffee table, trying to balance himself and his bags while packing his laptop and charger. Marco just sighed.

“Hey, let me do that,” He said in the same exasperated tone he used for his siblings and Pops, not giving Ace the chance to protest before taking his bags from him and packing, “I’m here to help remember? Joy would have my head on a stick if I let you get hurt cause you were being stubborn.”

As soon as he said that he regretted it, thinking he may’ve crosses a line but before he could apologize Ace rolled his eyes and scoffed.

“Now I see it.” He muttered. 

_ Huh_? 

“See what?” Marco asked.

“Why Thatch calls you a mother hen.”

“Oh no,” Marco _ had _ to stop this brat from jumping on that bandwagon, “Not you too, yoi. I am _ not _ a mother hen.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say,” Ace just waved him off which annoyed Marco, but he didn’t keep trying to take his bags back so he dropped it.

“So, are you ready to go?”

“I think so… Actually,” Ace grabbed the cowboy hat off the wall and put it on, “Now I’m ready-- What?”

Marco shook his head, “nothing, you just have no idea how much my sister hates that hat.”

Ace laughed, touching the skull ornament at the end of the string, “Yeah, it’s pretty awful, huh? But I like it. It was a present though, so maybe I’m just a bit biased to liking it.”

“A present? Really?” Could it be those boys in the photos?

“Yup, from my brothers,” Ace said, his voice was a lot softer than it was moments ago and Marco feared he crossed a line until Ace kept talking, “They had their own tacky hats so I guess they didn’t want me to be left out.”

“They sound fun, yoi.” Marco tried to pick something safe to say and much to his relief Ace smiled.

“They were,” Ace agreed, not looking at Marco anymore, “They were the best.”

Marco didn’t miss the past tense when and decided it spoke volumes, so he just let Ace lock up the house while he stood on the porch with his bags. Ace was silent the entire time with a far away look on his face, and Marco just watched.

But after a few minutes of driving he decided to speak up and try his luck. 

“Hey,” Marco didn’t look at Ace directly, letting him have that comfort, “This isn’t really my place and I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do but…” he took a deep breath, “if you ever need to talk to someone, about… _ anything_, I’m here. I’ve been told I’m good to vent to, yoi. And you don’t have to say anything now, it’s just an offer for you to think about.” 

Ace didn’t say anything for a long time, he just looked out the car window, fidgeting with his hat, and Marco only got more anxious as the minutes passed. Just as he was about to apologize for overstepping Ace spoke, his voice quiet.

“I… I’ll think about it,” He looked hesitant but sincere, “okay?”

Marco smiled and nodded.

“That’s all I ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say other than Thatch is gonna be real jealous Marco was the one to get Ace to open up a tiny bit more and not him uwu
> 
> Lmao, okay but really, I hope y’all liked this chapter!! I’m also thinking of maybe doing a couple mini/side fics that focus on things that don’t have to do with the main story (stuff mostly about Ace's past and the asl bros ya know) cause I’ve got quite the collection of drabbles piling up that just don’t fit in the main storyline. If anyone is interested I may post those!! Not sure yet tho
> 
> Anyways!!! Thanks for reading!!! Let me know what y’all think!!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco learns some more information on Ace and in turn, Ace learns something about Marco’s past and how he came to meet Whitebeard.
> 
> Meanwhile Whitebeard ends a meeting with the other three Yonko and Shanks makes a request afterwards.

_ “If you ever need to talk to someone, about… anything, I’m here.” _

Ace kept replaying what Marco told him over and over after they got home. Marco had gone to check for any updates from Whitebeard while Ace went back to his room. Ace had tried to do some work but he couldn’t focus as his mind kept wandering back to Marco’s words. He couldn’t wrap his head around it.

_ “I’m here.” _

Marco sounded so sincere for someone saying what was probably the most generic and impersonal phrases one could say to comfort someone. Ace had heard it a million times, they were words without any meaning or motivation behind them, empty promises to make other people feel better. But now… 

_ “It’s just an offer for you to think about.” _

Now…

_ “That’s all I ask.” _

That didn’t feel like an empty promise. Marco wanted to be there, he wanted to listen if Ace wanted to talk.

Ace could tell himself that Marco must only wanted him to talk so he could get information on him. But deep down Ace knew that wasn’t true.

He knew Marco wasn’t trying to get him to open up only to use that against him later on. It would be easier for Ace if that was the case. 

Instead Ace was wondering how he got so comfortable with the Whitebeards, to the point where he was actually considering telling their second in command about himself. Ace feared that if he kept getting close with them then he might not want to leave when the time came. 

It was terrifying him.

A knock at his door broke him out of his thoughts and Ace looked up.

“Ace, can I come in, yoi?”

Speak of the devil…

“Yeah! It’s open.” Ace called, trying to make it look like he had actually been doing something for the past hour instead of getting stuck in his own head as Marco came in.

“I’m not interrupting your work, am I?” Marco asked.

“Nah,” Ace brushed off the question, “What’s up? Any news from Whitebeard?”

Marco sat down at the table across from Ace, “Nothing notable. Pops said the meeting was going fine, he should be back later tonight if it all goes well. So far the other Yonko just want to know if we’re going to kill Teach or if they’ll get a chance to knock him around, yoi.”

Ace snorted, but didn’t comment.

“I do have a question, if you don’t mind?” Marco asked, when Ace only glanced at him, he continued, “Pops said you had a connection with Red-Hair but wanted to keep your whereabouts a secret, which is fine, but… Forgive me if I’m making an assumption but, you aren’t in any trouble with him, are you?”

“Huh?” Ace blinked before he understood what was being asked and he laughed, “No, no it's not like that… Shanks and I are on good terms-- at least I think we are. I just…” Ace took a deep breath, “I’ve been trying to avoid other wolves for… _ personal _ reasons for a while now and while Shanks is awesome I… I want to be alone and if he knew where I was…”

“He’d make it his business to check in on you?” Marco finished.

“Exactly,” Ace said.

Marco nodded, “You don’t have to answer this, but may I ask why you want to avoid other packs?”

Ace didn’t answer for a moment before he just shrugged, it didn’t really matter if Marco knew or not, if he told him the gist of it then maybe they won’t ask again…

“I used to belong to a pack,” Ace finally said, his voice was barely above a whisper, “They didn’t really want me but were forced to take me in after turning me. I was more of an obligation for them than an actual member of their pack. They didn’t want me around and I felt the same way, I never really got along with other wolves.”

“But your brothers…?” Marco asked.

“They were humans, not wolves,” Ace shook his head, “though, Sabo and Luffy both asked me to turn them and form our own pack, just the three of us but… I never wanted to be a werewolf in the first place and I would never turn them, they didn’t really know what it meant to be a wolf and I woulda been selfish to turn them just so I wouldn’t be alone.”

“I don’t think you would have been selfish, yoi,” Marco said softly, “it seemed like they wanted to be with you anyway they could. Brothers are funny like that.”

Ace shrugged again, smiling sadly, “Maybe, I just think they didn’t know what they were asking…”

“Maybe not,” Marco said, “Can I ask what happened to them?”

“Not much of a story, Sabo was killed and Luffy’s dad took him back and I haven’t heard from him since,” Ace said.

“I’m sorry, losing a brother then having another taken away… I can’t imagine how much that hurt, I’m sorry,” Marco said sincerely.

“Don’t be,” Ace said, he was already feeling like he’d said to much but couldn’t stop himself from continuing the story, “It’s in the past and… It’s for the best that Luffy wasn’t around. After he left another pack attacked the one I belong to and they killed almost every adult wolf, only Dadan and a couple of her leuninetes survived. After that I left and decided to be on my own, I wasn’t interested in staying with a pack that didn’t want me around in the first place.”

Marco just nodded, letting them fall into silence as Ace fidgeted with his shirt sleeves, feeling a bit awkward.

* * *

Marco watched Ace, trying to figure out how he could help him. 

“You know, Ace?” He finally decided, waiting for Ace to look at him before continuing, “I can’t fully relate to what you’ve been through but I know it wasn’t easy. Pops found me after I was turned against my will as well and before that I hated werewolves, yoi.”

“Really?” Ace asked, he blinked in surprise, “I never would have guessed. You seem…”

“Like a born wolf?” Marco smirked when Ace nodded sheepishly, “I’ve gotten that before, it’s not that obvious I was turned.”

“Can I ask what happened?” Ace mimicked Marco’s question from earlier.

“I was about fourteen,” Marco said, closing his eyes at the memory, “there had been several werewolf attacks in a nearby town where I live with my aunt and uncle and I happened to be walking through the woods when I got attacked. I don’t think he meant to turn me, it was probably a mistake, but it was the morning after the full moon and he got my arm,” Marco rolled up his jacket sleeve to show Ace the scar on his bicep, “by the time I knew what had happened, my uncle appeared out of nowhere and shot the wolf…”

“Did… did he die?” Ace asked.

“No,” Marco shook his head, “just wounded enough so that he couldn’t run. I didn’t know… I didn’t know what was going to happen next, my aunt and uncle had always told me about how awful werewolves and other monsters were, my mother was killed by a vampire and my father died trying to get revenge when I was only about seven years old so I guess they had a reason to hate them but I always had a feeling their hate ran deeper than that.

“After I got attacked my uncle turned the werewolf in to the Hunters organization and told them he only attacked me and I wasn’t bitten so they wouldn’t take me away as well. They told me they knew how to ‘cure’ me.”

“Cure…? But there is no cure for…?” Ace tilted his head, eyebrows knitted together.

“There isn’t a cure, your right,” Marco gave Ace a bitter smile, “they knew that too but they would never turn me in to the hunters and let the town know their nephew had been turned into a monster. So they poisoned me instead. For a month they feed me food laced with Wolfbane and Mercury until I couldn’t even walk. They said that if I survived the next moon I would no longer be a werewolf…” 

Marco watched the horrified look on Ace’s face turn into rage.

“What the hell?! That’s evil!”

“It is,” Marco said, “by the time the full moon came around I could barely walk on my own and that’s when they took me out of town to dump me into a werewolf’s territory. I didn’t know what was going on as they used a silver knife on my and left me in the middle of the woods. I got lucky though, they thought that they left me in some ruthless wolf’s territory and once he found me, I’d be dead.”

“They left you in Whitebeard’s territory,” Ace realized, eyes wide.

Marco nodded, “They did, Pops found me almost immediately after I turned and guarded me throughout the night. I don’t remember what happened after that, I was too sick but after he had healed me up a bit with the help of a witch named Hiriluk. Within a month I was healthy again and Pops asked me to be the first member of his pack. Soon after I recruited Jozu and Thatch and before we knew it, our pack had grown into the family we have now.”

“Oh,” Ace whispered and Marco couldn’t help but smile at the awed expression on the younger’s face, “I’m glad he found you.”

“I’m glad he found me too,” Marco said and thought to himself, _ ‘and I’m glad we found you as well.’ _

* * *

Whitebeard watched as Kaido and Charlotte left, both of them loudly discussing what _ they _ would do if they caught Teach in their territory. After Whitebeard gave the other three Yonko the rundown about what Teach had done and told them how he was more concerned with making sure the ally ‘pack’ Teach had attacked was safe before making plans for a counter attack on Teach. 

That went over about as well as he hoped with Kaido and Charlotte arguing that he shouldn’t waste time and should go ahead and attack before they took the chance themselves. But once Whitebeard told them that he fully intended on taking care of Teach they quieted down.

_ “Teach attacked a small pack that posed no threat to him, I will not stand by and let him believe he can get away with what he’s done. But now is not the time to make a move, if we aren’t careful he could cause more damage to my ally and I refuse to let them suffer more than they already have. It is crucial that we do not cause Teach feel backed into a corner and lash out. So, if I catch any of you in mine or my ally’s territory I will not be kind. Understood?” _

The other Yonko might be powerful in their own rights but they knew not to cross Whitebeard unless they had a death wish. His pack was bigger than the other three put together and he would not grant them mercy if they put his pack or his allies in danger. Even if their pride would deny it, they knew they would lose badly if Whitebeard declared them the enemy. 

So Kaido and Charlotte made plans for if Teach attacked them as they left. Declaring that Whitebeard couldn’t prevent them from protecting their own pack which Whitebeard agreed. If Teach attacked them then it would be within their rights to protect their pack.

The meeting went pretty normally as far as Yonko meetings went but Whitebeard noticed something that wasn’t normal.

Shanks and his two men had barely spoken a word throughout the meeting. Normally, Shanks had a habit of stirring up trouble when he wanted, he knew the right way to push everyone’s buttons without actually ending up on their bad side. But he had been oddly silent from the moment he greeted Whitebeard with an offering of sake.

Which lead them to watch each other silently as Kaido and Charlotte left them to catch up as they usually did. 

Whitebeard had known Shanks since he had been unofficially adopted by Roger along with that other boy, Buggy. He knew Shanks had something to say.

“You’ve been quite, Shanks,” Whitebeard said, “Something you want to share?”

Shanks rest his chin in his one hand while watching Whitebeard before speaking bluntly, “You smell familiar.”

“We’ve known each other for a while,” Whitebeard kept his expression neutral if a little amused, “I would hope my scent is familiar by now, brat.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Shanks shook his head, “You smell like someone I know. But that can’t be right...” 

Whitebeard just watched as Shanks stood up, Benn and Yasopp stood up after him. On either side of Whitebeard, Thatch and Vista looked at their leader from the corner of their eyes in question.

“I couldn’t convince him to stay with us,” Shanks said, eyes determined, “He just said he’d rather die than be a part of another pack after what happened to him. But I know his scent and you smell like him.”

The air in the meeting room grew thick with tension as Shanks tried to figure out what Whitebeard wasn’t telling them before he sighed, shoulders slumping.

“I guess you aren’t going to tell me, huh?” Shanks asked, when Whitebeard said nothing he nodded, “Alright, alright. I can take a hint. I’ll stay out of this. But I will say this.”

“Hmm?” Whitebeard raised an eyebrow.

“If it is Ace I smell… You better keep him safe.” Shanks said, his tone let Whitebeard know just how serious he was. Not waiting for an answer from him, Shanks turned to leave.

Benn and Yasopp stared them down for a moment with serious expressions before following their leader out. After the door closed Thatch spoke up.

“Pops, what was that all about?”

“Ace has a connection with Shanks,” Whitebeard said simply, “and asked me to keep it a secret that he was involved in this. It seems that we should have taken his scent being recognized into consideration… For now I want you to keep that as private information, at least until I talk about this with Ace. Alright?”

Thatch and Vista shared another look before nodding.

“Aye, Pops.” 

Whitebeard would have to bring this up with Ace later on. He was sure the young wolf wouldn’t appreciate that Shanks knew about him but if Shanks was honest about staying out of it then maybe it would be fine. 

“Alright, my sons,” Whitebeard said finally, “let’s get back home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so the backstory for Marco is based off of this writing prompt https://write-it-motherfuckers.tumblr.com/post/188790337482/write-it-motherfuckers-they-had-promised-to-help
> 
> And I may make a chapter in ‘Raised by Wolves’ that focuses on Marco’s past in the future but for now here’s the credit for the inspo!!!!
> 
> Anyways!!! I hope y’all liked this chapter!!! Thanks for reading!!!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After his return, Whitebeard gets Ace up to speed on his meeting with the Yonko and Ace has a surprising reaction to the news about Shanks, and just as things begin to settle back down trouble rears it’s ugly head once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, I know I said Ace being trans wasn’t relevant to the story and it still technically isn’t buuuuuuttt... I saw my chance and took it lmao, it’s not super relevant to the story but now I’m just shoving it in y’alls face
> 
> Anyways!!! I hope y’all like this chapter!!

Ace was already asleep by the time Whitebeard got back to the manor. He and Marco had spent the evening talking about light subjects. After Marco had told him about how he turned, Ace sort of closed back up. Marco couldn’t place what was going through the others head, but once Ace’s face fell from peacefully happy to something Marco could only describe as hurt?

He changed the subject quickly after that. 

After a while of talking about nothing, Marco tentatively broached the topic of Ace’s shop, hoping that it wouldn’t be too personal of a topic, and he learned quite a bit. Ace had apparently been selling his own works since he was thirteen with the help of a friend. He also told Marco a little about his designing process and how he went about creating each of his pieces. Marco had always been interested in creative work, and one of his favorite ways to bond with his siblings was listening to them talk about their passions-- whether it be Thatch and his culinary skills, Izo and her tattooing, or anyone else, he loved it-- and Ace was no different. 

Which is how Marco the half hour between Ace going to bed and his family returning in the kitchen, scrolling through Ace’s shop and social media-- with Ace’s permission of course.

_ “Don’t- Don’t judge the shop name, okay?” _ Ace had said before pulling up the shop. _ “I named it when I was like… twelve…” _

** _‘TheFireWolfsDen’_ **

Marco didn’t judge but he did find the name somewhat nostalgia provoking, after all he could remember being a pre-teen and all of his own, rather cringe worthy usernames-- he still used ‘** _TheBluePheonix_ **’ as his personal email address and he still got the occasional email from whatever old fandom forums he’d visit when he was younger, but that was his own dirty little secret. He did question the ‘fire’ part and Ace looked rather embarrassed.

_ “I’ve always liked fire… and it seemed cool and edgy at the time, ya know?” _

Marco had a feeling that wasn’t the full story but he decided it was best to ease up on the topic. 

After Marco noted the shop name to check out later, they changed the topic again and talked until Ace began to talk in circles and stopped following the conversation as he was before. Ace apologized, saying he was a little out of it, he’d skipped a couple doses of his meds and it was taking a bit of a toll on his ability to focus. Marco felt a bit bad, regretting that they didn’t go back to Ace’s place sooner to make sure he had what was necessary to be comfortable staying in their home. He asked if Ace needed to see Joy or anything but Ace just waved him off, saying that it was no big deal and all he needed was to make sure he took his meds in the morning. Marco reluctantly let it go but he-- rather sternly-- _ suggested _ Ace get some sleep as it was getting late. 

Marco pointedly ignored the ‘_Mother Hen_’ comment Ace made under his breath before he agreed to get some rest and they’d talk more in the morning.

“You all are back late,” Marco said, not looking from his laptop as the door to the kitchen from the outside opened, he could smell his Pops and brothers coming in, “How’d the meeting go, yoi?”

“It went about as well as a meeting with Kaido and Charlotte could go,” Whitebeard said simply, “At least the Hunters weren’t called this time.”

Marco grimaced at that memory, that really wasn’t a fun night. He was sure that if they hadn’t gotten Hunter intervention there might’ve been an all out Yonko war. Still, he could’ve got without the concussion he’d gotten from Garp the Hero, they weren’t even _ that _ involved in the fight in the first place.

“So what are you up to?” Thatch said, peering over his shoulder, “Jewelry?”

“It’s Ace’s shop,” Marco said, “I wanted to see more of his works.”

“Oh- wait! More? What do you mean _ more_?” 

Marco hummed and feigned innocence, he knew Thatch had originally ‘volunteered’ to take Ace so Marco could go to the Yonko meeting but Pops insisted Marco go with Ace so he _ knew _ Thatch was a little salty about missing a bonding chance. 

And Marco just had to get a little revenge on his brother for getting Ace on the ‘mama hen Marco’ bandwagon… Oh payback was sweet.

“Ace had some of his pieces on display in his living room,” Marco kept his tone as casual as he could, “So I asked him about it and he showed me his shop. Really though, the pictures don’t do it justice, his attention to detail is incredible.”

Marco couldn’t keep the shit-eating grin off his face and Thatch was unsubtle with his jealousy. Vista didn’t hide his amusement and laughed at his siblings.

Pops decided to intervene before Thatch could say anything and start a fight.

“How is our guest doing? Did he get everything he needed?” Whitebeard asked.

“I think so,” Marco said, “We may need to make another trip at some point, but for now he said he has everything he needs.”

“Is he up? I have some news I think he’d like to know,” Whitebeard said.

That caught Marco’s attention, he looked up at his Pops, brow creased in concern, “He’s asleep right now, do I need to wake him? Is something wrong, yoi?”

“No, don’t wake him,” Whitebeard said, shaking his head, “It’s nothing too bad, _ yet... _”

“What happened?” Marco asked, his concern and confusion only growing.

Whitebeard sighed, glancing at Thatch and Vista who were oddly quiet, neither of them were looking at them.

“Pops?”

“Let’s get to my office first,” Whitebeard said, “I’d like to keep this as private as I can.”

* * *

Marco barely let his father sit down before asking what happened.

Whitebeard sighed once more, rubbing the bridge of his nose before speaking.

“Shanks smelled Ace on me.”

_ What? _

Out of all the-

_What?!_

“I-“ Marco opened and closed his mouth before deciding what he wanted to say, “I’m sorry? Shanks smelled Ace on you? _ How? _ I can’t even smell Ace on _ Ace _half the time!”

“I know.” 

“And Ace said the last time-“ Marco cut himself off, shaking his head, “Whatever, it doesn’t matter _ how _ he smells Ace. What happened, yoi?”

“He just told us to keep him safe,” Whitebeard sat back in his chair, “He didn’t even seem like he wanted to believe he was smelling Ace on me in the first place, but if he was he wanted him safe.”

Marco had a feeling Whitebeard wasn’t tell him the full story but he supposed it something Whitebeard wanted to tell Ace first and let him decide if it was something he wanted to share so Marco accepted it.

“Well at least we were already planning on that.”

* * *

The next morning, when Ace woke up, he was almost immediately greeted by Nurse Joy after a morning shower. 

“Marco said you picked up medication from home, correct?” Joy barely waited for Ace to nod before she kept talking, “As the head Nurse I’d like to take a look at what you are taking and make sure you are taking it as prescribed while you are here.”

“Go for it,” Ace shrugged, going over to his bag to pull out his medication to show her, “That reminds me, though. I forgot to bring my sharps container, do you have one I can use?”

Joy nodded while looking over the pill bottles he handed her, “We should have one you can use. What are you using it for?”

“Testosterone shots,” Ace said and he grabbed the box with the vial for her to look it over.

She handed the bottles back to Ace in exchange and wrote something down on her notepad after looking over the box, “What dose and how often?”

“Uh, .5 ml and once weekly. I’m taking the next dose before bed.”

“Mmhmm, do you need any help with injections?” Joy asked.

“Nope.” Ace could appreciate her asking but he really wasn’t comfortable with someone being in the room during his t-shots. The only exceptions were his brothers, Makino, and oddly enough, Dadan. For how much the old hag hated him, 

Joy gave him an unconvinced look but nodded, “Alright then, if that’s everything then I’ll be going. Pops returned last night with news from the meeting he wanted to share, would you like me to inform him you’re awake?”

“Yes, please,” Ace said, “That would be great if you would.”

“Then I’ll be right back.”

* * *

Whitebeard brought breakfast for the both of them, Ace wasted no time digging into the food. He would always find it amusing how quickly and how much food Ace could put away in a sitting, by the time he’d eaten one helping, Ace had somehow put away three and was halfway through his fourth. 

“How did it go yesterday?” Whitebeard asked, watching Ace from behind his coffee mug, “Marco tells me you might need to take another trip back at some point?”

Ace nodded, swallowing the last mouthful of bacon, “Maybe, yeah. I _ should _ have everything, but if I forgot anything… I may need to go back, if that’s okay?”

“Of course,” Whitebeard said, “If you need anything just let me know.”

“Thank you,” Ace said, “How about you? How did the meeting go?”

“For a Yonko meeting it went rather well,” Whitebeard said, choosing his words carefully, he’d talked with Marco about this before and how he should talk with Ace yet part of him was still uncertain about what he was going to say. 

“That’s good.” Ace said.

“It is,” They decided it was best to be upfront about it, “Kaido and Charlotte show no interest in you or your territory, they only care about Teach and if they can attack him or not.”

“Good,” Ace nodded, “I’m glad not to deal with them.”

“You and me both, child,” Whitebeard said, “There is a bit of bad news however…”

Ace watched him, worry flickering in his eyes as he waited for Whitebeard to continue.

“I’m not exactly sure how he did it, especially with how weak your scent is now, even with you here in front of me,” Whitebeard continued, “But Shanks caught your scent on me.”

“Oh…” Ace said, looking back down so that his face was shadowed by his hair, he was silent for a few moments before he sighed, “Yeah I’m really shouldn’t be surprised.”

“Oh?” Now that wasn’t a reaction he was expecting.

“Yeah,” Ace whispered still not looking up, his voice was quiet and heavy with emotion, it broke Whitebeard’s heart to hear, “When we met he told me he could smell Luffy on me even though it had been over a year since…”

“Hmm, I wasn’t aware that his sense of smell was so… so…”

“Powerful?” Ace supplied, rubbing his face, “He- he said he never forgets a scent of someone he cares for… What… what happened?”

“I didn’t confirm it was truly you he was smelling, but he asked to keep you safe and said nothing more.”

Ace nodded, a solemn look crossing his face and Whitebeard just watched, unsure if he should say anything or let the silence hang.

”Ace?” Whitebeard said finally when the silence got to be too much for him, “Are you alright?”

Ace tensed ever so slightly before nodding again, he looked back up and gave Whitebeard a strained smile.

“I’m- I’m fine, I... I just got stuck in my head, thinking about something,” Ace said, his voice strained as his smile and Whitebeard could practically smell the discomfort radiating off of him, “I’m sorry for that, I’m putting you in a weird position.”

The stark, drastic changes in Ace’s attitude only worried Whitebeard but he pretended not to notice. Something within him told him it wasn’t right to pry so instead he offered a smile back. He wasn’t here to push and prod at Ace and drag him out of his comfort zone, instead Whitebeard wanted to let Ace know he could depend on them for support if he so chose. And in moments like these, when Ace suddenly closed back off, all he could do was offer comfort and let Ace make the choice to let them back in.

“There is nothing to apologize for, child,” he said, hoping to sound as comforting as he could, “This was entirely out of your control.”

Ace didn’t look too convinced but he agreed quietly.

“If you say so…”

Whitebeard smiled once more and reached over to give Ace’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. “I do.”

Ace smiled back, a little more real than before.

“Thanks you.”

* * *

Ace was off the rest of the day, he didn’t feel much like himself and it was clear that everyone had noticed it but thankfully no one mentioned it. Instead they acted like they normally did and provided a good distraction for Ace. He’d gotten so stuck in his head thinking about Shanks-- about how he remembered _his_ scent after all this time. Ace didn’t understand why but it was messing him up inside. Maybe it was because he spent the day before talking about his past with Marco and he was getting a little emotional because of it.

Whatever it was, Ace hoped he could get over it quickly. Marco and Thatch came by at noon with lunch and Ace would be forever thankful that Thatch was _ far _ more concerned with asking Ace about his shop than he was about why he was acting strange. With that as a distraction he could hopefully distance himself from those emotions and Thatch was always one to provide an excellent distraction-- both his personality and his cooking, Ace couldn’t get enough of his cooking. It was almost as good as Makino’s cooking.

“You should really show some of these designs to ‘Zo,” Thatch said, “She’d love to see it-“

_ Btzzz. Btzzz. Btzzz. _

Thatch was interrupted telling Ace about their sibling’s tattoos and about how they should work together on a design if Ace wanted to, by Marco’s cell phone going off.

“Ah, sorry, yoi,” Marco said, picking up his phone, “I need to take this,” he brought the phone to his ear as he left the room, “Curiel, is everything okay?”

Thatch scowled at his brother for interrupting him but waited until Marco left the room before resuming what he was telling Ace with a smile.

“As I was saying, if you’re up to it, Izo would-“

“_WHAT?!_” Marco’s exclamation was loud enough to be heard through the closed door and both Thatch and Ace jumped in their seats and exchanged concerned looks.

Thatch pushed off the table and out of his chair, already halfway towards the door by the time Ace got up to follow him. Marco suddenly pushed the door open, phone still in hand and Ace physically shrunk back on himself at the expression on the wolf’s face. 

Rage replaced the calm, somewhat bored expression Marco usually wore and Ace could see the beginnings of an involuntary transformation starting to take him over. Fur and fangs started to grow and claw nearly crushed the phone in his hand as his eyes turned primal.

“Marco what-“ Marco cut his brother off with a snarl that forced Ace to recoil involuntarily out of fear again, instinctively letting out a whimper that was barely audible.

“_Teach made his move._”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UwU sorry for the cliffhanger!! But also... not sorry lmao, the story came out a little rushed and cluttered and ooc for my liking but its still good imo
> 
> Also, I don’t think I’ve formally explained how werewolves transform in this au, so like during the full moon they’re pretty much like giant wolves/more animalistic looking than humanoid but outside of the full moon they can have some involuntary (or purposefully if the werewolf is strong/trained well enough ig) during times of High stress or danger where they are more like a traditional werewolf or just develop some wolf-like features. If a werewolf isn’t healthy they are more likely to have less control over transformations in general. This has kinda been hinted at Throughout the story but I wanted to explain it fully and never got the chance soooo... here ya go lmao
> 
> Annywayys!! I hope y’all liked this chapter!! I was really excited to get this done and posted before I got truly swept up in the holiday madness and I hope everyone has a great holiday (or if you don’t celebrate anything I hope you have a nice day!!) and I’ll be back soon!! Take care!!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Whitebeards form a strategy against Teach’s attack and organize a meeting with their allies and Ace in hopes of figuring what they’ll need to do next. In the mean time Ace gets a chance to get to know another member of the Whitebeards and Whitebeard and Marco have a little talk.

Ace was swept up into a whirlwind of chaos after Marco announced Teach’s attack. He barely knew what was going on as Marco started calling out for everyone in the house to get to their meeting room and he was ushered in as well and just as he sat down by the head of the table, the other Whitebeards filed in.

So many new faces and smells surrounding him made him want to retreat to the guest bedroom but Thatch sat down beside him, between him and the rest of the pack, offering some comfort. The entire room was filled with quiet whispers, questions of what was going on and what had happened. Dully, Ace noted that there were several seats empty, noticing this only because people seemed to be choosing certain seats which made the empty chairs stand out. 

At the head of the table, Whitebeard sat down and cleared his throat, a hush fell over the room as everyone turned their eyes to him. When he was sure everyone had their attention on him, Whitebeard gestured to Marco to take the floor.

“This will not be a pleasant meeting, yoi,” Marco said as he stood up from his seat across from Ace, “Teach has issued an attack on Ace’s territory. As of now, we’ve scared Teach off and no one on our side has been injured but that doesn’t mean we can let our guard down. We need to be prepared if he attacks again and I’ll get to that in a moment.

“We haven’t figured out what brought on this attack yet, our closest guess is that Teach is getting desperate with the recent Yonko meeting and the current climate surrounding the Hunters Organization and the new race for the title of King of the Monsters. As of now, Whitey Bay and her coven are going to meet with Jinbe and his faction, as he’s said he may have information for us and she’ll determine whether or not we need to further follow up with him. Until we get word from them, we’ll be sending three teams to Ace’s territory as a precaution. Jozu has already left with his team to join Curiel and Kingdew’s team, after this meeting adjourns, Vista and Blamenco and their teams will join them, yoi.”

Two men, who Ace assumed were Vista and Blamenco, nodded and echoed their understanding and agreement in the plan. Marco paused briefly to make sure everyone was still with him before he continued.

“Everyone else will be assigned patrol duty in our territory, the first shift is assigned to Atmos and Jiru and their teams on the south and east side of our territory, and Rakuyo and Blenheim and their teams on the north and west, yoi. Namur you will be in charge of assigning shifts to your team, I want at least two people patrolling the waters at all times in case someone tries to infiltrate us from the water. Fossa and Izo will go into town, I’ve already requested a meeting with the town’s mayor and you two will get her up to speed on what’s going on so we don’t accidentally induce a panic in town. After this meeting I’ll provide both of you with folder that contains everything that you’ll need to tell her, yoi.”

More nods and ‘ayes’ chorused across the room.

“That leaves the rest of you,” Marco said, “Because Pops will be overseeing both our territory and Ace’s and Jozu and I focusing on preparing for attacks, Thatch will acting as the temporary head of the manor for anyone not assigned a role. And that brings us to our last position.”

Marco stole a glance at Ace and frowned slightly.

“Ace is Teach’s number one target, he believes that if he could take Ace out, he would be able to claim his territory,” he said and Ace felt his stomach drop, “As an extra precaution, if this is alright with Ace, I want Haruta in charge of guarding you. I request that both of you stay within our territory-- preferably stay in the manor-- but you are both adults and Ace isn’t a member of our pack so that is only a request. That said, Ace, if you need to leave our territory for whatever reason, please let Haruta join you, yoi?”

Ace, truthfully, wasn’t too excited to have someone ‘guard’ him but… He could understand it, if Teach somehow got into their territory and attacked him again, Ace doubted he’d survive another attack. If there was someone else with him, especially a healthy wolf, then he would stand a better chance of survival in a worst case scenario.

“That sounds good to me.” Ace agreed. 

Marco nodded, “Alright, anything you’d like to add, pops?”

“No,” Whitebeard stood up as Marco sat down, “I just want everyone to remember to stay alert and keep an ear out for any new orders. Another meeting will be held-- either here or on video call if we have to-- as soon as we get any new information. For now, this meeting is over.”

There was another chorus of ‘ayes’ and then everyone was moving, most people left to fulfill their orders but a few people hung back. Izo and Fossa were two that stayed back and Marco took them into a room off the side of the meeting room. Thatch was speaking with Whitebeard about something.

Ace wasn’t really sure what he was supposed to do, he didn’t know if he needed to stay behind for anything or if he should head back to his room. Before he could choose, someone tapped on his shoulder. He turned around and was greeted by who he guessed was Haruta.

They were young-- a few years older than Ace, if he had to guess they were maybe twenty-three years old at the oldest but probably closer to twenty-- they were only slightly taller than Ace and they were dressed in a way that immediately made Ace think of a prince from a children’s book.

Or a frog.

Frog prince?

Yeah frog prince worked.

“Hey, I’m Haruta,” They introduced themself, holding out their hand for Ace to shake, “I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself to you yet, Ace.”

Ace stood up and took their hand, “I don’t think you have. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Well, Ace,” Haruta smiled, “Now that I’m your bodyguard, what would you like to do?”

* * *

Haruta was quickly becoming Ace’s new best friend. 

Sure, Marco was a great person to talk with and Thatch was fun-- and made  _ amazing _ food-- but there was something about hanging out with someone close to his own age that Ace didn’t realize he missed. Especially when said someone had a personality that meshed with Ace’s so well.

When Haruta found out Ace hadn’t been given a full tour of the manor, they took it upon themself to show Ace around now that the manor was mostly empty save for the two of them, Whitebeard, Marco, Thatch, and some nurses. 

It was the perfect time to get familiar with the place without Ace having to worry about running into someone or accidentally be a bother to one of the Whitebeards. And it was nice to explore and learn more about the manor, especially with Haruta as a guide. 

They were thorough in their tour and had  _ plenty _ of stories about the manor. Including stories that may or may not be subtle jabs at their family as they pointed out stains or oddly placed decorations and told a short tale about who broke what or what prank went wrong. They were also pointing out all the secrets in the home, stating that Ace could find them useful-- especially if he took them up on their proposition of starting a little trouble once everything settled down.

“Yeah, this place is pretty big,” Haruta said after Ace joked that he might end up lost if he wasn’t careful. They started the tour in the front of the house and were making their way up, currently they were in the kitchen to grab a snack, “Apparently is used to belong to like, a noble or something before Pops bought it? So it’s ridiculously big and it has a lot of unnecessary rooms but it works out for us since we have so many pack members. But there’s a lot of... additions to the house that don’t really make sense unless a noble or someone rich built it.”

“I can believe that,” Ace nodded, “the servants corridors don’t seem like something he’d include in the building plans.”

Haruta laughed as they left the kitchen where they showed Ace one of said corridors that sat in the back corner of the room, “No, they don’t-- Making someone walk around out of sight in their own home doesn’t really sound like Pops, huh?” They flashed Ace a mischievous smile, “Currently, we don’t really use them except for during prank wars and short cuts. A much better use for them in my opinion.”

“Agreed.” Ace followed Haruta into the dining room through the kitchen doors.

“So this is the dining room,” Haruta said, “right here is where the corridor opens up but I think after Thatch joined the pack they put in the double doors at his request. And I think it’s easier for us during meal time cause lemme tell you, both of us could probably barely walk side by side in those corridors, could you imagine Pops trying to fit in there? Or trying to pass someone in there? With food?”

Ace laughed, “That sounds like it could get messy real fast.”

“Oh yeah,” Haruta said, “Okay, now let’s go to the living room and then I’ll show you the sun room, then we’ll go upstairs!”

“Sounds good.”

“Oh! Don’t let me forget to show you the secret door on the staircase! It’s the best hiding place in the entire mansion cause it’s so small and out of sight so no one looks there.”

”And I’ll need to know where it is because...?”

”_Well_, if you _do_ join me for a little trouble then... it’s probably good that you know the best place to hide,” Haruta said, “Right?”

Ace laughed, “Right.”

* * *

Marco stood behind his Pops, reading the computer screen over his shoulder at his desk. Whitey had sent them an update on her meeting with Jinbe who had some information for them. 

The Hunters Organization had apparently taken down one of Teach’s allies due to their behavior and several attacks on a human town. Jinbe said they took over the allies territory and there was no chance for Teach to claim it himself which help give them some insight on why Teach had chosen to make a move for Ace’s territory out of the blue. There was also a new ‘Supernova’ group of monsters that had emerged out of nowhere and Jinbe had heard rumors of them being connected to the infamous ‘Revolutionary Army’ and they were apparently causing quite the ruckus, the leader was apparently after claiming the title of King of the Monsters. Jinbe theorized that Teach might be feeling threatened by a new, powerful team as well as backed into a corner by his current enemies.

“We should really see if Ace would be willing to have a meeting with Jinbe,” Marco said, “it may help us to get a better game plan, yoi.”

“Maybe,” Whitebeard said, “it all depends on if Ace is comfortable with it. I was surprised he was so willing to go along with Haruta…”

As if on cue there was some faint sound laughter coming somewhere outside of Whitebeard’s office, probably down the hallway, from Ace and Haruta.  Haruta had decided that they were going to give Ace an official tour of the manor, probably feeling that it would be a good distraction for Ace and a good way to get him a little more comfortable with them. Ace would get familiar with their home and seeing that the only people currently home were people he knew, he could get familiar with the other members of the pack’s scents without the ‘threat’ of being surrounded by strangers. 

Giving him a tour while almost everyone was out of the house also meant Haruta got to spend some quality time with Ace alone which was going well if the loud laughter that echoed through the halls was any indication. Part of Marco was a little worried at how quickly those two became friends, he had a foreboding feeling that it could end badly for everyone if Ace was half as troublesome as Haruta but mostly, Marco was happy that other member of the pack had made friends with the lone wolf.

“Well,” Marco said after the laughter faded, “Haruta is pretty easy to get along with and they are pretty close in age, aren’t they, yoi? It makes sense that he’d be a little more comfortable with them.”

“I believe so, yes. Ace said he was nearing his nineteenth birthday soon and Haruta will be twenty-two soon so they are three years apart.”

Marco nodded, letting that sink in. He knew Ace was young but it slipped his mind to ask his age. It was a little jarring to think about, sure most all of his siblings had... less than pleasant childhoods or lives before joining their family but it always hurt him to think about someone young being all alone in this world. 

“Didn’t know he was that young,” he said, “So… Ace said he left his home island… about three years ago? So he was fifteen then? And he’s been alone ever since? No wonder he smells like that then. Just being without a pack for three years will fuck up your scent but still being a child... His wolf form might not have even developed properly in the first place, yoi. And he’s probably not even telling us the entire story, right?”

“It would appear so,” Whitebeard sighed, then an amused look flashed in his eyes, “Marco, correct me if I’m wrong, but you’ve bonded with him.”

It wasn’t actually a question but Marco nodded anyways, “It’s hard not to… He’s… He’s been through a lot and I guess he just… reminds me of some of my siblings, yoi.”

Whitebeard hummed and nodded, “Do you know who he reminds me of?”

“Hmmm?”

“You,” Whitebeard laughed at the annoyed and slightly embarrassed look, “You know I’m right, Marco. Ace just like you were at his age! Right down how he’s really only so polite to us because he’s nervous, but when he gets cornered… It’s just you when Roger first introduced us to Shanks and Buggy. He even snapped at me like you used to as a newly turned when I tried to check on him.”

“Pops!” Marco groaned in protest but Whitebeard keep talking.

“Ah, yes,” Whitebeard reminisced, chuckling as he spoke, “And when we were trying to figure him out? The brat could go from polite to pissed in an instant. It was just like when Thatch first really got under your skin, I swear he almost fainted when you told him where to shove-“

“Okay!” Marco cut him off, flushing a little at the memory, “okay, yeah I can see the similarities, yoi… just… just stop.”

“Alright, alright,” Whitebeard conceded.

He let Marco calm down a little before he spoke again.

“After Haruta finishes showing Ace around we should see if he’d be willing to meet with Jinbe tonight.”

Marco nodded, “We should,” he then paused before glancing at his Pops, “Do you…”

Whitebeard said nothing but raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue his train of thought.

“With how dangerous it is,” He chose his words carefully, “Would it be a good idea for Ace to stay someplace else, yoi?”

“Are you suggesting we find a safe house for him?”

“A little bit, yeah,” Marco said, “It just seems that with Teach attacking his territory again, and he did it  _ the day after _ Ace and I had gone into it… That doesn’t feel like a coincidence, yoi. I think he knew we had been there.”

“You have a point,” Whitebeard agreed, “ _ But _ , if he is watching Ace’s territory, he could also be watching ours and sending Ace to a safe house could be a dangerous move on our part.”

“Right… I didn’t think of that. Do you think that Teach thought yesterday, we weren’t just picking some stuff up but rather I was dropping Ace off?”

“Maybe. I honestly can’t say for certain what’s going through Teach’s head but I’m not comfortable risking Ace’s life over a theory. I feel he’s much safer staying here where we can keep an eye out for trouble and we’re close by if anything happens.”

“Understood.”

“Still,” Whitebeard said, “We should look into finding a place for him to hide if it comes to that. I’m sure Jinbe would take him in or if we have to, we can contact Shanks for help.”

“I’m not sure how comfortable Ace would be with that, yoi,” Marco said, he had no doubt Jinbe would help them and he also had a good feeling Shanks would take in Ace in a heartbeat but… he didn’t want it to come to that. He wasn’t sure if he was uncomfortable with the idea because Ace had expressed how much he disliked being around other werewolves or if maybe he was feeling a little protective over the young wolf and he just didn’t like the idea of Ace bonding with another pack like he had with them.

“Then let’s hope we can take care of Teach before it can come to that.”

* * *

“So,” Ace said, “You want to know if I’d be willing to have a meeting with your ally?”

Whitebeard had sent Marco to find him and Haruta after their talk. Haruta was in the middle of telling Ace about the different members of the pack so that if anything happened he could better find someone who was on his side. 

“Correct,” Whitebeard folded his hands in front of him, “I would like to hold a proper meeting with Whitey Bay and Jinbe to discuss what they can do to help us, ideally I would like to meet with them in person but I want you to have a say in how we go about this. If you would like, rather than having them meet with us here, I can organize a meeting with them outside of our territory or over a video call if you’d like to participate but not have them physically present.”

That made sense, and Ace was glad they wanted his input on what they should do, even if he felt like he wouldn’t be much help to them. And while Ace wasn’t keen on the idea of meeting with…  _ anyone _ , but he could do it. 

Ace took a deep breath and spoke, “Alright, I want to be present during this meeting, if I’m allowed?”

“You’re sure you’re comfortable with this?” Whitebeard’s brow arched as he questioned him.

“I’m- I’m not comfortable with this, I’m not going to lie and say I am,” Ace said, “But this entire thing concerns me whether I like it or not and I’ve been sitting on the sidelines, letting you all do all the work for too long and I’m… I'm tired of not helping. I want to get involved in fixing this.”

For a moment, he and Whitebeard just watched each other in silence, letting Ace’s confession sink in. Ace wondered if he maybe over shared a little to much, but eventually Whitebeard nodded.

“If you are sure,” he said, “then I will ask them to meet with us today if you’d like?”

“Sounds good to me.” Ace really hoped that he wouldn’t come to regret his decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Years Y’all!!! (And happy bday Ace, I’m gonna post a bday fic in Raise By Wolves so... keep an eye out for that?)
> 
> I hope y’all liked this chapter, it was a bit of a filler chapter to bridge last weeks chapter with the chapter after this one but I really liked writing Ace starting to bond with a member of the Whitebeard Pack other than Whitebeard, Marco, or Thatch. Not that I don’t like writing binding moments between them! It’s just fun to mix things up a bit lol and I really love Haruta
> 
> Anyways! Thanks for reading, until next time!!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Whitebeards made a plan to take down Teach once and for all, with everyone in agreement it should’ve been easy. But Teach had other ideas for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up very long, but I couldn’t cut it up without it being weirdly done sajhjadjhfad hopefully no one minds lmao. I actually almost made it longer but it would have taken too long to get done if I kept going lol

Ace was _ not _ prepared for this meeting. _ Not at all _.

Once before, Ace had talked with Whitey Bay-- it was over a video call, but still, he had met her before and he kinda knew what to expect meeting her a second time. She was the High Priestess of her coven, each member of her coven specialized in a different form of elemental magic and Whitey Bay herself was considered the most powerful practicer of ice magic in the modern day. Her even walking into a room made the temperature drop several degrees and shaking her hand made Ace’s fingers stiffen like he’d dunked his hand into ice water.

But behind an icy appearance was a surprisingly warm personality and Ace relaxed around her pretty quickly.

Jinbe on the other hand…

That was a different story. Ace was immediately on guard when Jinbe entered the meeting room. The fishman was _ big _ , not as tall as Whitebeard was, he was closer to Jozu’s size, and he had such an imposing smell. He wasn’t only a fishman, Ace could smell that right away, the undertones of Jinbe’s scent _ reeked _ of vampire. 

This wouldn’t be the first time Ace had met a vampire, he’d had a few run ins with them in the past, most notable being the Heart Coven and a certain swordsman that Ace barely avoided, both of the encounters had been with Shichibukai. It seemed the Hunters Organization liked to enlist vampires for Shichibukai positions over all other monsters. 

And Jinbe was a Shichibukai too, _ that _ was what set Ace on edge the most.

But Ace pushed his fears to the side, he forced a smile and hoped it looked natural as he introduced himself to the man.

“I’m Portgas D. Ace,” he said, holding out a hand for Jinbe to take.

“Jinbe,” the man said, taking Ace’s hand, his own completely engulfed Ace’s but neither paid attention to it, “It’s nice to met you.”

Ace flashed him a smile before he sat back down again. Jinbe greeted Whitebeard and Marco briefly before he took a seat as well. He sat across from Ace, sitting beside Whitey. Whitebeard was at the head of the table and Marco sat beside Ace, putting Ace between the pack leader and the second in command.

Unlike before, the entire Whitebeard Pack wasn’t involved in this meeting and, surprisingly, Whitey Bay’s coven and Jinbe’s faction weren’t involved in the meeting either. Whitebeard had requested that they hold a more private meeting and Ace would forever be grateful for that.

“Now that we’re all here,” Whitebeard said, “Shall we begin the meeting?”

When everyone nodded or gave some indication confirming they were ready, Whitebeard gestured to Marco.

“Son?”

“Right, yoi,” Marco nodded and thumbed through the papers in front of him, “We’ve talked with Ace about the theories of why Teach has chosen to attack again. The theory that seems the most likely is that Teach is feeling cornered due to the current climate surrounding the Hunters Organization, other werewolf packs, and the newest contenders entering the race for the ‘King of the Monsters’ title and he’s getting desperate so he attacked without planning. That theory makes the most sense as of now, given that we had no casualties on our side and the damage done to Ace’s territory was mostly cosmetic, the attack doesn’t appear like he was thought through and as of now he’s retreated and his pack has suffered some minor casualties.

“But, we cannot yet rule out that Teach has an eye on us. Yesterday, during the Yonko meeting while Pops and two of our highest ranked wolves were away, Ace and I went into his territory to pick up some of Ace’s things, yoi.” Marco paused to steal a look at Ace before continuing, “It might mean nothing, but there is a chance Teach knew Ace had gone back to his territory and he is watching Ace’s or our territory to see who enters and who leaves. Because of this, we are increasing security on our territory and we’ve been discussing the possibility of reaching out to some other allies if we have too.”

“Which allies?” Jinbe asked.

“As of now, other than the subordinate groups, we’ve only discussed asking the Red-Hair pack for help,” Whitebeard took over for his son as he stole a not so subtle glance at Ace to check on him, “But hopefully we won’t have to get anyone else involved and we can keep this within the family.”

“Of course,” Jinbe nodded.

Whitey Bay cleared her throat and spoke up, “Pops, now that we are on the same page about _ why _ we believe Teach has made a move, are we going to discuss a game plan? Or a counter attack? I know you don’t want to ‘strike first’ so to say, but at this point I believe issuing an attack is warranted now that he’s attacked Ace’s territory twice now.”

Silence blanketed the room after she spoke and Ace could practically feel the tension coming off of Whitebeard. But she had a point, they couldn’t only retaliate when someone got hurt, at some point they had to make a move before it was too late. It was a little odd that Whitebeard hadn’t already made an attack on Teach yet, but Ace could only suppose he had a good reason to hold off on attacking.

“You’re right,” Whitebeard sighed, breaking the silence, Ace watched a grim look of resignation take over his face, “I didn’t want it to come to this, but it appears we have no choice but to retaliate against Teach. He has yet to back us into a corner but we cannot allow him the chance.”

“So you have a plan?” Jinbe asked.

“An outline. Marco?” Whitebeard gestured back to his son.

“We’ve already divided the pack into teams that are patrolling our territories, with a focus on monitoring Ace’s, tomorrow we have plans to hold another meeting to discuss who will be a part of a counter attack. We believe we’ve located where Teach’s temporary hideout is, we’re going to send out a team to the location to confirm it in the morning,” Marco said.

“Which team?” Whitey Bay questioned.

“Probably mine, yoi,” Marco said, “Or Izo’s as hers is made up of mostly non-wolves so they’d have a better chance of sneaking in without being detected.”

“What if my coven went instead?” Whitey Bay asked, “We have ways to disguise our scent and presence so that even a wolf couldn’t find us.”

“Would you be alright doing that, daughter?”

“Of course, Pops,” Whitey Bay said, “My coven and I are here to help you in any way we can. We’re family after all.”

Ace suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable as Whitey Bay seemed to look directly at him as she spoke before turning back to Whitebeard. 

“Then we will consider that, but that’s a decision we must make with the entire pack present,” Whitebeard said and Whitey Bay nodded and agreed with that quietly.

After that they talked a bit more about the members of Teach’s pack, the weaknesses of specific members, and which members of Whitebeard’s own pack would be best suited to be involved in ambushing Teach. Ace mostly stayed out of the discussion but if asked he’d give his opinion or agree with what they were saying. He agreed to let them use his territory for the attack if it came to it, stating as long as they _ tried _ to keep his house in one piece, he’d be fine with it.

In the end they settled on that they would send scouts out to gather more information on Teach and if they needed they would issue an attack but if they could help it, they would try to wait until the next full moon to make a move.

Once the meeting was over, Ace once again shook hands with Jinbe and Whitey Bay, before he retreated to the guest room for the night. In the morning they would hold another meeting to finalize their plans.

Little did they know, their plans would not even get the chance to come into fruition.

* * *

Ace was awoken from a deep sleep by something he didn’t know, he blinked a few times to clear his head, wondering what woke him up. It was still dark out, his room was illuminated by soft moonlight filtering in through an open window. He could see the night sky clearly as the curtains fluttered in the light breeze. Though he couldn’t tell the time, he knew it was far too early for him to be awake. 

But, when Ace went to roll over to go back to sleep, he froze, suddenly wide awake, as he realized something. 

There was a window open.

It was the beginning of winter, it was _ freezing _ at night. Ace _ knew _ he wouldn’t have even opened a window, let alone left one open before he went to bed.

And the screen was missing.

Ace stayed still, he focused on slowing his breathing back down as he scanned the area of the room he could see, straining his ears to hear. Behind him there was a quiet noise which Ace realized was breathing and an all too familiar scent filled his senses.

It wasn’t the warm, welcoming scent of one of the Whitebeards, no, this scent was heavy, it was suffocating and nauseating. It set Ace into an instinctive panic and he almost couldn’t think as it caused memories of pain and fear to resurface.

_ Teach _.

Ace didn’t dare move, he waited as the presence behind him slowly crept closer. Heavy footsteps were muted on the carpeted floor as Teach grew closer. Ace didn’t know what to do, he was panicking internally as Teach stopped at the side of his bed. Ace’s eyes frantically darted around, looking for a means of escape or something he could use to defend himself. 

Then his eyes caught on the silver-plated lamp on the bedside table, in the reflection he could see a distorted image of the man looming over him. He watched as Teach’s reflection shifted and his hand reached inside his jacket, he pulled his hand out slowly, pulling out a knife from within the jacket.

Ace felt the knife’s sheath fall onto the bed, he could see Teach raise his arm up and just as he began to bring it down, Ace moved. As quickly as he could, Ace rolled out of the way of the knife and shot off the bed, momentarily stumbling as his legs caught on the comforter.

Feathers flew into the air as Teach couldn’t react quick enough and embedded the knife into the pillow instead of in Ace’s head like he’d intended.

Not waiting for Teach to realize what had happened, Ace bolted towards the door. He barely threw the door open when Teach let out a string of curses and he moved after Ace. Once the door was open, Ace could clearly hear a commotion from deeper within the house and he had a good guess at what had happened.

While everyone was distracted and the majority of Whitebeard’s pack was either in Ace’s territory or away from manor, Teach planned a sneak attack. Somehow he must’ve managed to infiltrate Whitebeard’s territory without being detected and he’d found where Ace’s room was while his pack kept the Whitebeards distracted, he could kill Ace off without interference. No doubt he was drawing inspiration from the first time he tried to kill Ace.

Without thinking, Ace decided to go _ towards _ the commotion. He didn’t know what he hoped to achieve by entering the clustefuck of it all, but he was probably better off there than he was if he went off alone somewhere with Teach on his tail. 

He sprinted as fast as he could, he took the route Haruta had shown him before. Behind him, he could hear Teach shouting as he took a turn around a corner, his socked feet nearly slide out from underneath him on the hardwood floor but by grabbing onto the runner on one of the hallway tables, ripping it off and behind him, using that to propel him forward. 

The stairs down where in his sight now and as he grew closer, the commotion from downstairs grew louder. He just had to make it a little further-

Ace shrieked, he’d only made it a few feet before he was thrown to the ground and Teach’s heavyweight knocked the air from his lungs, a sickening _ crunch _ came from his ribs. 

Immediately, before he could even think about what he was doing, he started struggling. Ace managed to roll over onto his back as he flailed wildly under Teach. One of his elbows actually caught the man’s jaw and Teach recoiled with a loud, snarling cry that only barely covered up the loud _ crack _ of bones colliding against each other. Pain flared in his arm but Ace ignored it, while Teach was distracted, Ace clawed at his face, aiming for the eyes. 

He got a solid scratch in, barely missing Teach’s eyes, before Teach regained his composure and cocked his fist back to strike Ace’s face.

_ Once. _

_ Twice. _

_ Thrice. _

Teach landed three consecutive punches before relenting. Stars flitted across Ace’s vision as he felt his nose break under the force of the blows, his lip split open. The taste of blood filled his mouth and he couldn’t pull in air through his nose, momentarily he choked on his own blood before coughing, clearing his windpipe.

“You could’ve made it easy on yourself,” Teach snarled, his hand circled Ace’s throat to keep him pinned, squeezing it as a warning, cutting off his air supply briefly, when Ace tried to struggle free, “But _ nooo _, you had to make it difficult,” a manic grin split across his face as he spoke, he pulled back and brought the knife Ace didn’t see him pull out, up, above his head, “No matter, you’re still going to die tonight and no one will save you this time. How does it feel?”

“Fuck you,” Ace spat in Teach’s face, specks of blood flew from his mouth, spattering onto Teach’s face. Seeing as he wasn’t going to break free of Teach’s gripe any time soon, Ace, in a move of pure desperation, jerked his knee up between Teach’s legs with all the force he could muster from his position.

A strangled shout was ripped from Teach as he dropped the knife and he let go of Ace as his hands flew instinctively to his crotch, cursing the cheap shot. Ace didn’t hesitate to grab the knife, he barely had it in his grasp when he slashed at Teach’s face, dragging it across his cheek in a fluid motion.

Teach reeled backwards with a shriek, his hands flying to his face as Ace scrambled to get away from him. Ace barely got to his feet only when Teach grabbed his ankle and pulled him back to the ground. He crashed to the floor, he had no time to brace himself and the knife fell from his grasp as he hit the ground.

“Oh no you don’t!” Teach howled, trying to drag him backwards by his ankle, “You aren’t getting away from me this time, you little bitch!”

Ace growled, he tried to rip his foot from Teach’s grip, when that didn’t work Ace used his other foot kick to his head, his heel coming down on Teach’s temple. The hold on his foot slacked a little, but not enough for him to break free, and Ace tried again.

“_ Fucking- _! Watch me!” Ace snarled as he kicked Teach again, making sure his foot connected with the wound on his face this time. Upon impact, he felt cartilage and bone cave under the force of the kick and Teach’s gripe on his ankle weakened enough for Ace to pull free. Ace struggled to get back to his feet, nearly slipping in the ever growing pool of blood on the floor but once he got his balance, he ran.

Right into a solid wall of a person.

Strong arms wrapped around Ace in a firm hold. For a moment, Ace panicked, fueled by adrenaline, he screamed as he tried to fight to get away before the familiar and comforting scent of who was holding him hit him. Instantly Ace’s body went slack in the embrace, clinging to the man.

Whitebeard’s warm, deep voice reverberated through his chest, nearly blocking out the sounds of Teach’s screams behind him.

“It’s alright, son.” A scream split the air along side the sound of bones being broken as Whitebeard tightened his hold on Ace. “You’re safe now. We’ve got you.”

Another scream rang out, this time accompanied by a lone gunshot, and Ace couldn’t stop the sob from bubbling out of his throat as his emotions finally caught up with him and reality came crashing down around him. His knees buckled under him and if it weren’t for Whitebeard’s hold on him, he would’ve fallen over Desperately, with his fist balled in Whitebeard’s shirt, he tried to breath, to stop crying, to speak but nothing but choked gasps for air came out in between his sobs. Above him, he could _ feel, _ more than he could hear, Whitebeard was speaking to him in a calming tone, stroking Ace’s hair as he held the sobbing boy. Words of comfort didn’t register to him but they still helped.

Teach’s cries eventually turned from screams of agony into gurgling cries as he choked on his own blood and he stopped making noise completely after one, lone gunshot silenced him. The manor was then still save for Ace’s muffled sobs and Whitebeard's soft words.

When Ace finally calmed down a bit, he took several deep, gasping breaths for air. His lungs burned as he rested his head on Whitebeard’s chest. He fruitlessly tried to wipe away his tears but gave up when he realized they probably wouldn’t stop falling anytime soon.

“Are you alright, son?” Whitebeard's voice rumbled above him, still holding him and petting his hair.

Ace could only nod and let out a small whine when he tried to speak. He was still clinging to Whitebeard’s shirt, soaking it with tears and blood, he _ should _ be embarrassed by how childish he was acting but he couldn’t bring himself to care in that moment. He was still coming down from one hell of an adrenaline rush and he had no choice but to ride it out.

“I’m fine,” He managed to choke out after another deep breath, “I’m fine now- I’m fine.”

Whitebeard rubbed a comforting hand down his back, letting Ace just lean on him for the time being. When Ace tried to pull away from Whitebeard, though, he was immediately stopped by Whitebeard locking his arms. Ace made a noise, tensing up again out of fear before Whitebeard spoke.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think you should turn around… It’s… Messy.” Whitebeard said.

Ace didn’t even bother to try to argue with him, he didn’t have the energy, it didn’t matter that Ace had seen his fair share of ‘messes’ before. He didn’t really want to see a ‘mess’ now. He didn’t want to see what kinda ‘mess’ they made of Teach.

“Mmkay,” Ace muttered, he closed his eyes and just focused on listening to Whitebeard’s steady heartbeat to calm down.

“Pops,” someone-- it sounded like Marco but Ace wasn’t quite sure, his head hurt and his ears were ringing too much for him to tell-- said behind him, “Why don’t you take him to the nurses and we’ll… _ clean _ up.”

Whitebeard nodded before slowly leaning back to look at Ace, forcing him to look at the man, “Do you think you can walk, son?”

Ace said nothing but he nodded, Whitebeard watched him for a moment before stepping backwards and moving behind Ace to make sure he couldn’t see the scene behind them, he kept a hand on Ace’s shoulder as he spoke.

“Alright,” he said, “let’s go.”

With a guiding hand on Ace’s shoulder, Whitebeard helped him downstairs to the nurses quarters. Ace ignored the pain that flared up with every step he took. He already was starting to feel pretty pathetic for how worked up he’d gotten from Teach’s attack. He wasn’t hurt nearly as badly as he had been the first time but he was affected so much worse than he was after the first attack. He felt like he was on the verge of collapsing and breaking down for the second time that night with every step he took.

Luckily though, they made it to the nurses quarters without much trouble save for a few times Ace nearly tripped over his own feet but he brushed off Whitebeard’s questions of if he was okay or if he needed to be carried the rest of the way. Ace didn’t think his pride would survive if he let Whitebeard carry him. 

Once they were outside of the infirmary part of the nurses quarters, Ace could hear familiar voices coming from inside. Most prominent was Joy’s voice doling out orders. 

* * *

Whitebeard stood by the door of the infirmary, watching over his children as they either tended to the injured or were being tended to. For the most part, they had gotten off lucky, sustaining minimal casualties. The worst injury to their own, other than Ace, was Thatch who’d gotten, in his own words, _ “A minor stab wound and a couple of broken bones, it’s no big deal.” _

The nurses didn’t seem to think the same and four were flanking him to treat his wounds. Thatch, however, was far more interested in talking with Ace, who was also being treated for his injuries, and checking in on the young wolf.

“Thatch, if you do not quit moving, _ I _ will stab you,” one of the nurses, James, said.

“Aww, come on! It’s not like I got stabbed somewhere important! Right, Acey?”

While Whitebeard was justifiably worried for his son, he was eternally glad for Thatch’s ability to brush off his own troubles with a smile and redirect his siblings woes with jokes and an easy smile. That was really coming in handy in that moment, the other members of the pack were quietly laughing and Ace was slowly turning back into himself as Thatch continued to joke and distract him in particular. It wasn’t working perfectly as Ace was still rather out of it and wasn’t acting like himself yet but it was helping a little as far as Whitebeard could tell.

“I dunno,” Ace said, his voice weak and hollow still, as Joy manhandled him to check him over. But as he let her hold his face and prod at his injuries, a ghost of a smile crossed his face, “I think getting stabbed… _ anywhere _ is pretty bad.”

Thatch made an offended noise and brought his hands up to his chest in a dramatic fashion, “I can’t believe I’m getting ganged up on! And here I was thinking we were friends.”

Whitebeard continued to watch over his children fondly until Marco came in, his eldest scanned the room before his eyes fell on his father and he nodded.

“Joy,” Whitebeard caught his daughter’s attention for a brief moment, “I’ll be right back.”

Joy glanced at him and then Marco, nodding in silent affirmation before turning back to Ace. He watched them for a moment longer as Ace obeyed her order to take off his shirt without protest so that she could check his ribs. He tensed up under Whitebeard’s gaze and refused to look at him directly still so Whitebeard decided he would give the boy a bit of space and check in on him later.

As he was leaving, Thatch caught his eye and tilted his head towards Ace subtly, silently asking if he needed to keep an eye on Ace, when Whitebeard said nothing, his son frowned and nodded once before going back to talking away. Whitebeard felt a bit better knowing that his son was on the same page and was alright to act as a sort of distraction and mood lightener, even though he wasn’t in the best shape himself and was out of the know for the time being.

“Well?” Whitebeard asked as soon as he and Marco were in the hallway and the door was closed behind them, they started down the hallway at a leisurely pace as they spoke.

“Teach didn’t make it, yoi,” Marco said calmly and without remorse, “and we’ve rounded up the rest of his pack. What should we do with them?”

“Have you questioned them?”

“Yes, we think we’ve gotten the entire story out of them but… I wouldn’t be surprised if they were withholding information.”

“Of course…” Whitebeard nodded, “Well, I guess that’s as good as we’ll get… In any case, we’ll need to call up the Hunters and inform them of what had happened.”

Marco scowled, “Oh, that’s gonna be fun.” He then paused before continuing, “What… what about Ace, yoi?”

“Ace? He’s not doing well but from what I know he’ll be fine-“ Whitebeard started.

“No, no,” Marco said, “I mean, what are we going to tell the Hunters about Ace? We can’t just let them know there’s a lone wolf on the loose, they’ll have a field day with that.”

_ Ah_, Marco had a point about that. If the Hunters found out about Ace, even without the mess Teach made, it would not end well for Ace. But now that there had been not one, but three attacks on Ace and their pack in which the final attack resulted in the death of the leader of one of the ‘three’ packs involved?

It was going to be difficult to deal with, especially if the survivors of Teach’s pack pegged the blame on Ace. They could easily act as though he was the entire reason for their attacks even though Ace was truly just an innocent bystander that got caught up in an ongoing fight between two packs.

“We’ll have to figure something out,” Whitebeard said after a moment, “Maybe we can convince Ace to act as though he’d joined our pack but we had an agreement for him live separate from us at his request?”

“Alright,” Marco nodded, “I’ll call up the Hunters and request someone come by tomorrow. Are you going to talk with Ace?”

“I will.” Whitebeard turned to go back to the infirmary, then added, looking back at Marco, “also, please come find us after you’re done.”

“Aye, Pops.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teach got his ass beat and Ace finally got that hug I promised uwu
> 
> Also... This story isn’t over, this particular ‘arc’ is but I still have some more things planned for this au? Like Ace still needs to officially join the Whitebeards and I wanna do a reunion with him and his bros, I’m just... debating on whether or not if I want to keep it all in one continuous fic or break it up ya know? 
> 
> Nnyways!!! I hope y’all liked this chapter and I’d love to hear some feedback!! Until next time! Bye!!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the morning after Teach’s attack comes and Ace isn’t quite sure what he’s feeling now that the reality of what happened truly starts to set in. And Whitebeard wonders how they will need to go about keeping Ace from closing them out now that he’ll be able to return home soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all I’m so sorry this is a literal week late, life got real hectic and I didn’t have time to write so this got put on the back burner and I also wasn’t really sure how to continue? Like technically the last chapter was kinda where I was originally gonna end this fic but when I actually got to writing I realized there was a lot more I wanted to fit in that wouldn’t be doable if I ended it with Teach’s death? So it was probably a good thing I took a little longer to think about how to continue, but this chapter still kinda ended up being a bit of a filler chapter and the characters are kinda ooc which I’m not super happy about but like, oh well? It works and it’ll work well with the next chapter lmao
> 
> Anyways!!! I hope y’all enjoy it!!

Ace ended up spending the night in the infirmary for observation at Joy’s request. He gave a half-hearted attempt at arguing with her about it but he was too tired and dazed to really put up a fight so he relented pretty quickly. Truthfully, Ace didn’t remember much of what happened after he got to the infirmary. 

Vaguely, he knew Whitebeard left at one point and came back later with news that he didn’t pay attention to and Thatch had gotten in trouble a couple of times for making Ace laugh enough to put a strain on his ribs. 

But other than that?

Yeah, Ace remembered very little of what happened in the infirmary.

So when he woke up around what must’ve been noon in a stark white room that smelled of antiseptic and rubbing alcohol, he was confused to say the least. 

“Ah, you’re awake,” Joy said, entering the infirmary through one of the doors, she had a clipboard in one hand and a package under her other arm, “I expected you to be out for longer. How are you feeling?”

Ace blinked, it took a moment for her words to process before he could answer, “‘mm fine…?”

Joy watched him for a moment then nodded, she the package and clipboard down and washed her hands before walking over to him, “Your reaction time is quite slow, which is expected but it’s still a little worrisome, so if you’re up for it, I would like to ask you some questions and give you a brief check up.”

“Oh,” Ace again took a moment to think, “yeah, sure. Go ahead.”

“Alright,” Joy nodded, she picked up a different clipboard from the table beside Ace’s bed, clicking the pen attached to it as she sat down beside his bed, “since you have a mild concussion I’m going to ask you some general questions to make sure you aren’t doing worse than you appear. So, first question, what is your full name?”

“Portgas D. Ace.” An easy start.

“Good, next question, how old are you?”

“Eight… eighteen.” He still had a couple of months until he was nineteen but for some reason remembering his age was always hard for him.

Joy scribbled something down with a slight frown. She asked a few more easy questions, writing things down as he spoke, before getting to some harder stuff. She switch over to a blank notepad page and looked up at him, “Okay… Now this question is optional but I’d like to see what all you remember so, could you tell me what happened last night and the injuries you have?”

Ace tensed up slightly, he honestly wished he didn’t have any memories of the night before... the memories he did have, while sort of foggy, were a little embarrassing. Especially what happened after he was attacked and rescued. He was embarrassed by how easily he broke down in front of Whitebeard and whoever else had been there.

“Ace?” Joy asked when he said nothing for longer than probably what was comfortable, “If you don’t want to talk about it or if you don’t remember what happened you don’t have to answer.”

“No,” Ace shook his head, slowly he was feeling more and more aware and alert, “no its… its fine… I’m just… thinking? I’m gonna just… tell it how I remember it,” He paused, scratching his arm nervously as he thought it over, “I got attacked by Teach last night, I don’t know what time but it was late and I was in bed when he… broke in I guess?”

Joy nodded along, writing as he spoke, “Good, good. Can you continue?”

“Yeah, um…” Ace closed his eyes, piecing together what happened as he spoke, “In the hall, I got tackled and my ribs… cracked I think? I remember it sounded like something broke. And that’s… I hit him, I know that and then he... he punched me, three times and that’s when he broke my nose? And I guess I got the concussion then?” He reached up to touch his face and winced as his fingers came into contact with the sore area. He could feel a small bandaid on the bridge of his nose and he was now keenly aware of the dull ache throughout his entire body. His chest felt especially tight and it was mildly painful for him to try to breath deeply. It almost felt like he was wearing a too small binder or ace bandages.

“Correct,” Joy said, writing down what he had told her, “Or at least that you acquired a broken nose and a concussion, your ribs are only bruised thankfully but I’m still going to request you avoid binding, heavy lifting, and excessive activity. I would suggest you stay in bed until further notice but I don’t think you’ll follow that, right?”

Ace laughed a little, “Ah, yeah, probably not.”

That got an exasperated eye roll out of Joy and she wrote something else down on the clipboard, “As expected,” she looked back up at him, “Now I need to check on your injuries, so unbutton your shirt for me.”

Ace nodded and started to unbutton his shirt-- noticing it wasn’t the shirt he wore to bed the night before, nor was it one of his own shirts. Actually, now that he thought about it, he wasn’t wearing the same pants either but what he was wearing was familiar. It was almost the same set of pajama-like clothing that he was dressed in after the full moon, just pale blue instead of gray. That made him realize that there was a bit of a difference between the two times he woke up after Teach’s attacks.

“Hey, I have a question?” Ace asked, looking up at Joy who looked back at him from where she was washing her hands and putting on gloves across from him, “Last time I got attacked, I woke up in a guestroom-- why am I here instead this time?”

“There are a couple of different reasons you’re here this time,” Joy said, walking back over, “last time we determined it would probably be overwhelming to wake up in the infirmary after a full moon considering how extremely sensitive the senses are after a transformation and we were worried about how you would react to waking up somewhere with such harsh smells, noises, and lights.”

That made sense, Ace could see why they would want to avoid triggering something after that night.

“And as to why you are here _ now _,” Joy continued, she lightly pushed Ace to sit up a little straighter and pressed the cold stethoscope to his bruised chest, “I wanted to keep you here for observation to make sure none of your injuries were worse than assumed. And we wanted to keep you out of the way as we had to call the Hunters to… take care of the rest of Teach’s pack.”

“The… wait, what?” Ace tried to pull back a little, tilting his head to the side in confusion, “The Hunters were here? The rest of?”

Joy guided him back and readjusted him to her liking as she spoke, “I guess you were already asleep when Marco came back with the news. Breathe deep,” she moved the stethoscope across his chest as he did what he was told, “And you were already out of it when Pops tried to catch you up, which is understandable. So I’ll fill you in the best I can. You may know this already, but whenever two packs get into a fight or ‘turf war’ that results in a casualty on either side or an outsider to the conflict it must be reported to the Hunters to… appease them, so to say.”

Ace nodded along and leaned forward as she moved to press the stethoscope to his back and she kept talking.

“And because Teach attacked our territory with the intent to kill ‘one of our own’, which resulted in his death out of self defense,” Joy said.

Ace’s brain decided to gloss over the _ ‘one of our own’ _ part-- he’d ask about that later if he remembered-- and focused more on what was important. Teach was dead, he assumed that he was killed when Whitebeard found him but… to actually have it confirmed…

It felt simultaneously unreal and too real all at once.

“Teach is dead?” Ace asked, sounding a little dazed even to himself, then it set it and he panicked a bit when he realized what that meant. Almost shouting, he blurted out, “Wa-wait! You guys aren’t going to get in trouble for that, right?”

Joy frozen, taken aback by his outburst for a second, before she laughed and shook her head, “No, no. No one is in trouble-- well, no one from our side.” She patted his shoulder comfortingly, “As he attacked us, it was deemed a necessary course of action. Especially after the Hunters were shown some evidence of the attack, which is the other reason we kept you down here. Pops put his foot down and had them take a look at the scene of the attack instead of interviewing you as they initially wanted to do, he felt that you wouldn’t be well enough to deal with Hunters so soon after nearly getting killed. And Thatch also volunteered to an interview when they tried to press the issue, and because he ended up with the most severe injury aside from yours, and they were satisfied to talk with him.”

“That… that’s good,” Ace said, he was relieved that they didn’t get in trouble and that he didn’t have to talk with the Hunters. Then he asked, “How is Thatch? I know he was here last night…”

“It is good. And Thatch is fine, he got away with some superficial injuries a single stab wound to his abdomen, which luckily wasn’t deep, nor did it pierce any organs. For the most part he just worried everyone, but he’s already healing up nicely and he should be completely fine by the end of the week so long as he doesn’t go against nurse’s orders,” Joy said with a smile. She then pulled back, she set her stethoscope on the bedside table and grabbed a small tub of familiar smelling balm-- it was most likely the same stuff used on him last time he noted-- she switched back to the topic of the Hunters as she popped the lid off, “honestly though, I think the Hunters didn’t really care if it was planned or self defense. They just need to make a report and to have an explanation for the public. Teach has been a pain in the ass to everyone for so long, and there were rumors that the Hunters were going to go after him, so maybe they’ll spin this as a planned take down on their part or something like that as they like to do.”

Ace nodded, he let Joy slather the balm on his bruised chest in careful strokes as she continued to speak.

“But whatever story they tell, we’ll hear back from them after they get back to their main headquarters later tonight, I believe,” She said, “until then we can only go off of their word that they aren’t going to give us any trouble.”

“Yeah,” Ace said, he felt much more relaxed knowing that nothing bad had happened because of him-- or well, because Teach died trying to kill him at least?-- and hopefully, in the future, they wouldn’t have to deal with anything like Teach.

Joy hummed softly, finishing up spreading the balm quietly, “Alright, you can put your shirt back on. I’m going to check your nose next,” She said once she was done, pulling off her gloves as she spoke and exchanging them with clean ones.

* * *

After Joy finished with her check up-- she said he was healing better than last time already, but still too slow and Ace was still confused by what that meant but he didn’t get a chance to ask her about it-- she left to inform Whitebeard he was awake at Ace’s okay. The pack leader had told her that he wanted to speak with Ace once he was awake if he was up for it. Joy said he wanted to check in on him and talk with him about the details of what had happened during the Hunters visit that Joy might’ve missed or not known about.

So Ace waited for Joy to return with Whitebeard, he was aimlessly scrolling through his email on his phone. Before the Hunters arrived, someone had gathered most of his personal things and brought them down to the infirmary to make sure that there wasn’t a chance of the Hunters either going through his stuff or trying to take anything for ‘evidence’. Ace was pretty thankful for whoever thought of that-- probably Marco-- as he neither wanted anyone going through his things or taking anything, and Joy had told him he’d probably in the infirmary for a while, or at least until they could prepare another room for him, so he was glad to have something to entertain himself. 

He had a lot of emails piling up so he’d be able to keep himself busy for a bit as waited, and it took him a while to go through them as he had to reread everything a few times before it would really process for him. He had some new orders to fill when he got back home, mostly orders for his standard product so he’d be able to package and ship off some of his already made stuff if the inventory on his phone was correct. There were a couple of custom orders he had to get back too and figure out when he’d be able to do them. He knew he’d at least have to wait until he was less concussed than he currently was but hopefully he’d get back to work soon.

Just as he was reading over one of the orders, he heard voices just outside the infirmary door and he looked up just as it opened. Joy was still talking with Whitebeard as they came inside, Whitebeard was nodding along with whatever she was telling him, a solemn look on his face. Ace couldn’t help but notice how tired the man looked, even at a distance, he could see bags under Whitebeard’s eyes and the air around him smelled of exhaustion. 

It made him feel a little guilty. Sure, Ace knew-- or had been told to be more accurate-- that he wasn’t to blame for anything that had happened pertaining to Teach but he still felt like he was at fault. It wasn’t like he wanted their help, he was thankful for it, but he never asked for it and still, the Whitebeards went out of their way to help him when it would have been so easy to just let Teach take him out.

Ace wondered if they regretted it. 

But he would never ask them that, he was too scared to find out the answer. He was afraid of the truth, that they might hold some resentment for the trouble that’s occurred since he’d moved into the territory next to them. 

Whitebeard glanced over at Ace, still listening to Joy, and as he caught Ace’s stare, he smiled warmly. It was a tired smile, but it was still warm and it calmed Ace’s nerves slightly and he smiled back, clicking his phone off and setting it down while he waited for Joy to finish speaking.

“And that’s it for the physical injuries but I suggest keeping the conversation short and to the point so it’s easier for him to follow,” She said and Ace guessed she was probably talking about him, Whitebeard nodded as she spoke which satisfied her apparently because while he stopped at Ace’s bed, she continued to the other door on the opposite side of the room, still talking as she left them, “call me if anything happens, I’ll be back in twenty if not.”

And with that, Ace was alone with Whitebeard, who sat down in the chair beside his bed. 

“How are you doing?” Whitebeard asked, “Joy said you were a bit disoriented earlier?”

“Yeah, a little,” Ace said, “I think I was just a little tired and confused. But I’m fine right now,” he felt a lot better with some pain meds in his system and whatever that balm was on his bruises, he was still a little dazed but he wouldn’t mention that, “How about you? Everything go okay?”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Whitebeard smiled once more, “and I’m doing just fine, and everything went okay as far as we know. I’m sure Joy has filled you in on what has happened since last night. I tried to talk with you in when I came back here last but you were pretty out of it, so I thought it would be best to let you rest.”

Ace laughed, a little sheepishly, “Yeah, I, uh, don’t really remember much of what happened last night… But Joy did tell me what happened and it’s good that you haven’t been given any trouble for Teach’s death. I… I was a little worried about that, I didn’t want you all to have any problems with the Hunters because you saved me from him.”

“Don’t worry,” Whitebeard said, he patted Ace’s shoulder in a now familiar, comforting gesture, “we’ve made sure that the only people who will be punished is the rest of Teach’s pack. As far as the Hunters are concerned, we were attacked and reacted appropriately to one of our own nearly being killed and as they’d been planning on intervening with them for reasons they wouldn’t share, they agreed to let us off with a warning to not have anymore pack wars near a human city or to at least clue them in on what’s happening earlier so they can intervene.”

“And how likely is it that you’ll do that?” Ace asked, his tone slightly joking with got a hearty chuckle from Whitebeard.

“Not very,” He said, a twinkle of mischief in his tired eyes, “It’ll be a cold day in hell before I do anything the Hunters tell me to.”

And just like that, all the tension and worry had eased from the air Every so slightly and Whitebeard talked a little more about what had happened. 

“I apologize for this, but the easiest thing to tell the Hunters was that you were a new member to our pack and that we were trying to convert what is actually your territory into an extension of our,” Whitebeard said, “it’s not something I wanted to tell them but unlike the Yonko who wouldn’t care to meet an allied pack of ours, the Hunters would try to meet up with any additional members of an allied pack and I didn’t want them to find out you were a lone wolf as the Hunters tend to… react poorly when confronted with lone wolves as you may know.”

“I’ve heard some rumors,” Ace said, his gramps always had something to say about Hunters that went after lone wolves and those stories drove him to be extra careful not to get on the Hunters radar, “I think you made a good call to say I was a member of your pack.” 

“I think so as well,” Whitebeard said, “I was worried about how that would sit with you, so I’m glad we didn’t cross a line in telling them that you belong with us.”

Ace’s mouth suddenly went dry after Whitebeard spoke and he could only nod wordlessly, unable to find an appropriate verbal response. He didn’t want acknowledge the weird feeling in his gut when he thought about ‘belonging’ to Whitebeard’s pack nor did he want acknowledge how it hurt when he had to correct himself mentally about that. He wasn’t a part of Whitebeard’s pack, they didn’t want him to join their pack, it was all a lie to make things easier for them and he… he...

Okay, so _maybe_ he did want to be a part of their pack but he wasn’t someone that could belong to a pack. Not the Whitebeard’s or anyone else’s.

He learned he didn’t deserve a pack a long time ago.

* * *

Whitebeard clearly saw the change in Ace’s demeanor after he told the boy about what he’d told the Hunters but he wasn’t sure what caused the shift in his mood. He decided that maybe Ace was less okay with being grouped with his pack than he verbally expressed so Whitebeard decided to move on from that and that he would discuss it later. He talked with Ace a little more about the Hunters, he was pretty much caught up on all the details he’d been absent for thanks to Joy already, so all that was left was to fill him in about his new sleeping arrangements. 

“I don’t think you’ll want to keep staying in that guest room or the same wing as you were,” He explained to Ace, “and it will take us a while to, ah, clean up. I am sorry that the only available guest rooms aren’t in a wing on their own, we do have an empty room that isn’t too close to the rest of the pack but you’ll be near mine, Marco, and a couple other’s rooms if that’s alright? If not we can put you back in the guest room once everything is fixed and cleaned up.”

Ace nodded, “That’s fine, I’d… I’d rather not stay in that room again, and it's not like I need to stay here much longer now that Teach has been taken care of, right? So I’ll be out of your hair soon, so you don’t need to go out of your way to accommodate for me.”

Whitebeard noticed the strained smile on Ace’s face and his tone felt like he was forcing it to be casual, like he wasn’t sure of what he was saying. Whitebeard didn’t know if it was because he was still shaken up from the night before or if he wasn’t comfortable with the new arrangements but part of him felt as though Ace wasn’t eager to leave them. Maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part but he still leaned forward and ruffled Ace’s hair softly, careful not to jostle his head and smiled as they made eye contact.

“If you need,” Whitebeard said, his voice low and steady, he was using a soft tone he’d often use when comforting his children, “You can stay as long as you want, and I speak for my entire pack when I say, we’re glad to have you here and we want you to be comfortable while your here. We will always welcome you in our family, Ace.”

He watched as Ace’s eyes widened slightly. And for a split second, an emotion he couldn’t name but one that Whitebeard was all too familiar with-- one many of his children had worn before joining his family, one he never wish to see on anyone he care for, one that spoke of longing and hurt that ran deep within one’s very soul-- flash behind Ace’s eyes and he looked down at his lap quickly, nodding stiffly. He said nothing other than a whispered, barley auditable,_ ‘thank you’ _as he voice cracked slightly, his breathing becoming a tad more shallow as he processed what Whitebeard told him.

For a brief moment he’d caught Ace off guard, he saw the mask the child wore crack just a little. For one shining moment, he could see the emotions Ace tried so hard to hide before Ace closed himself off once more and his face fell blank.

It was heartbreaking to see. To see that and not be able to do anything. Not to ask, not to comfort, but to just have to sit there and watch so helplessly.

Whitebeard watched him for a moment longer before letting his hand go from Ace’s head to his upper back to rub it brief second before he pulled away and sat up straight. He cleared his throat and decided that was enough prodding for one day, any more digging and he feared Ace might retreat back into his shell. He feared if they weren’t careful, after Ace was cleared to go back home, he may go back to avoiding them. Or worse, he may disappear completely like he was prone to do.

“Now, I don’t believe you’ve eaten yet, have you?” Whitebeard asked.

Ace shook his head, his voice still wavering and unsure. But he did look up at Whitebeard this time when he spoke, “No, not yet.”

“Then why don’t I see if Thatch can bring us some lunch, hmm?”

A small smile quirked at Ace’s lips and Whitebeard could see him relax a little bit even if there was still a bit of unsureness in his eyes.

“That sounds good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I’m sorry this chapter came out so late!! Thank you for being patient!! But still, it was probably a good thing I took a little longer to get this out so I could figure out where I wanted to go with the rest of this fic lmao, I’ve still got a lot planned and hopefully I won’t be skipping weeks in the future!! 
> 
> Nnyways!! I hope y’all liked this chapter and I hope y’all’re still interested in this fic!! I guess the next arc will be the Whitebeards actually working to get Ace to join the pack for real lmao. I’d love to hear some feedback!!! Or just comments in general lol
> 
> Until next time! Bye!!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace gets comfortable in his new room, he then starts to wonder what’s going to happen when he has to leave the Whitebeards and live on his own again. He’s not to excited for it...
> 
> Meanwhile, Whitebeard does a little thinking of his own, about his own worried and fears. And Marco needs to talk with his Pops about his own frustrations with everything that’s happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I wrote most of this while sick and it really shows so I’m sorry if its a bit of a mess but I think it works well enough to post and if I have to I’ll come back and edit it,,,
> 
> Sooo yeah, hope y’all enjoy lmao

Once Joy gave the okay that Ace could leave the infirmary, Marco had taken him across the manor to where he’d be staying for the time being. Marco had shown him around the room a bit and told Ace where he’d be if he needed anything before he left Ace to settle in the new room. 

And after putting his stuff away, Ace found he really liked this new room. It was in between Marco and Thatch’s rooms and Whitebeard was down the hall a little way. It was a little smaller than the guest room had been but the bathroom connected to it was bigger, having a shower and bathtub instead of just a shower and there was a closet in the bathroom instead of a wardrobe in the bedroom. The bedroom had a larger bed, a dresser opposite of the bed, and a desk under the windows whereas the other room had a couple dressers, a wardrobe, and a table with a couple chairs. The other room was nice, but all things considered, this one just felt more like a bedroom _ for _ him and not just somewhere he was staying for the time being.

It was also nicer in that part of the manor in his opinion too. The guest rooms where mostly on the third floor of the manor while the majority of the pack had their rooms on the second while the nurses and members of the pack that lived outside the manor had rooms available on the first floor. But there were still people occupying rooms on the third floor, away from the wing with the guest rooms, like Whitey and her coven or a few other non-wolves that liked to be a little further from the pack when they stayed at the manor. So it wasn’t always empty, just mostly unused by the majority of the pack.

But the second floor, at least where Ace was staying for the time being, felt more lived in and welcoming because of that. There were more signs of residency in the form of decorations, scents, and even just the general layout of the floor plan on the second floor. Instead of just having a hallway outside of the rooms in a straightforward path to the stairs down or the other part of the third floor, there was a small sitting-esque area outside of each cluster of bedrooms and the bedrooms were in a sort of semicircle of four rooms with two hallways leading into the area on a rounded corner of the manor which Ace remembered Haruta telling him was a newer addition after that wing had been almost destroyed by Teach a few years back. One hallway would lead to the stairs and the other lead to Whitebeard’s master bedroom and a study he would seldom use in favor of the office that connected to the meeting room downstairs, which was closer to the majority of his pack on a day to day basis.

All and all, Ace like it. He found it oddly comforting to have people close by to him-- before, he found safety in solitude. Now, his tendency to get attacked when he was alone and vulnerable was starting to get to him and he found the idea of being alone a little nerve wracking… He really hoped he’d get over being scared of being alone before he had to leave. He could already see many sleepless nights for him in the future fueled by the fear that he might get attacked in his sleep again. 

Ace wasn’t sure what he would do if it turned out he had gotten too used to being around other wolves and once more had to go through with the ‘withdrawal’ like effects that occurred when a wolf first leaves a pack, or ‘pack separation syndrome’ as it was most commonly referred to as. He went through hell when he first lost his brothers and left Dadan’s pack-- he even experienced minor distress when he met and left Shanks and his pack, even though he only stayed with them a short time-- so he wasn’t looked forward to what might happen to his body and mental health when he left the Whitebeards. 

He wondered if maybe he wouldn’t experience the extremes of pack separation syndrome as he had been on his own for so long and maybe his body and mind would be used to the solitude already. 

But on the flip side of that, he might have it worse because of his prolonged, self-imposed lone-wolf status as it really didn’t take long for him to grow used to the Whitebeards and their closeness. 

Ace felt that he may’ve screwed himself over no matter which outcome occurred. If he had ‘withdrawals’ then he was screwed for however long the ‘withdrawals’ lasted and then he would have to avoid the Whitebeards to an extent to prevent any further negative effects. And if he didn’t have any ‘withdrawals’ then…

Well, that just proved that Ace had managed to screw over his entire biology somehow and that probably wasn’t great in the long run.

… 

Whatever. That could be future Ace’s problem. 

He could stand to ignore that issue, at least until he got back to his own home and could deal with the potential shitshow without burdening the Whitebeards more of his problems than he already had.

* * *

  
  


Whitebeard sat in his office, going over emails and updating his allies and subordinate packs on the situation with Teach. Shanks had been one of the first people to reach out after the news of Teach’s death and his packs detainment got out.

He didn’t even bother with formalities and called Whitebeard’s personal phone directly as soon as he found out. He immediately bombarded the elder with questions about what had happened, how was his pack doing, and, more importantly, if Ace was alright. It was a little irritating to have to deal with others and being questioned so soon after his pack was attacked and then he had to deal with the Hunters but… 

Whitebeard could understand the concern, he could appreciate it even. Shanks had known most of the Whitebeards since he was Roger’s prodigy, they were almost like another family to him. Shanks was also very concerned about Ace’s wellbeing and wanted to make sure they were looking after Ace.

And the Moon knows that child needs someone to look after him.

They learned quickly that, _as sweet and lovable as he was _, Ace was the physical embodiment of distrust and misfortune. He was wary and unsure of everything that happened around him and at the slightest show of genuine kindness he always taken by surprise by it. And that wasn’t even touching on how weak his scent was-- though Whitebeard had noticed a slight change in his scent, he found himself noticing it more but he didn’t yet know the cause of that, be it Ace’s scent growing stronger or him finding it easier to pick up on-- or the other underlying issues there were with his overall health. 

Whitebeard didn’t know if Ace had been as… _‘__unwell’ _ as he was currently when he had met Shanks but Whitebeard had a feeling that even if he wasn’t as extremely and obviously sick, Ace probably wasn’t doing good in terms of his physical or mental health. And Shanks had always been _ highly _ in tune with his senses, it was almost frightening how easily the man could pick up on what was wrong with others only using his sense of smell or his keen observation skills, so there was a chance that _ maybe _ he knew what was so off about Ace. And _ maybe _ he could sense something was wrong with Ace even if it wasn’t noticeable to anyone else. Or maybe Shanks had just connected with the young wolf, and like them, wanted to make sure Ace was well.

Whitebeard wished he could ask Shanks about it. Even if Shanks _ didn’t _ know what was wrong, he might be able to supply some input that could help them.

But Whitebeard couldn’t ask. Not without potentially throwing away the little trust Ace had put in them. He was already taking a risk by just poking around his own library to see if he could find an answer in one of the many old tomes and scrolls he’d collected over the years. 

He wouldn’t dare to dig any deeper than that for an answer without consulting Ace about it though. And he had yet to find a good time to ask and Ace hadn’t shown any signs that he would speak about any aspect of himself without being asked first so Whitebeard would absolutely have to ask if he wanted an answer. And asking might not even be fruitful, there could be a chance that Ace didn’t even know what was wrong with him, or even that there was anything wrong with him in the first place but that likely wasn’t the case. 

Or he just might not tell them…

Ace couldn’t be forced to tell them anything, but of he didn’t tell them then they wouldn’t be able to help him accurately which… Well, Whitebeard didn’t like the idea that someone would be struggling or suffering on their own when he could help them. He especially didn’t like that it could be someone he had grown to care for. 

Whitebeard didn’t like the helplessness he had been feeling since Ace had arrived. Whitebeard prided himself on being a good pack leader, on being a good father to anyone who needed a family, but now he felt as though he was failing on both of those fronts. He wasn’t able to stop Teach’s attacks not only did someone outside of his pack get hurt, but some of his own children were injured because of it.

He worried that his pack could be starting to think that he was losing his ability to be the pack leader they needed and that maybe it was time for their father to step down from his position. He feared that they would be right to think that.

And what would he do then? What would become of him?

A knock on his office door pulled him away from his thoughts of self doubt and he called out to however was knocking, looking up from his computer screen.

“Come in.”

The door creaked open and Marco entered the office. He looked at his Pops and then at his desk, eyes gliding over the numerous papers that were strewn about its surface and then back to the elder.

“I’m not interrupting your work, am I, yoi?” Marco asked with a bemused look, knowing full well that even if he was interrupting his Pops work, he would be a welcome interruption. After all, family came before work in almost every scenario Whitebeard could think of other than a few less common situations that would require his full attention.

“Not at all,” Whitebeard said, switching to a blank tab on his computer before half-heartedly clearing off his desk a bit enough so that it didn’t look so cluttered, “I was just catching up on some emails and talking with Shanks.”

“Oh? What did Red-Hair want?” Marco sat down across from him, scooting his chair a bit closer to the desk.

“He was just checking in on us, making sure that we were alright and asking about Ace,” Whitebeard said. Marco snorted but said nothing about it so Whitebeard took the opportunity to ask about the young one, “Speaking of Ace, how did it go? Is he settling in his new room?”

Marco nodded, “I think he is, or at least he hasn’t said otherwise. But…” he trailed off, sighing as he scratched his jaw, “I dunno, yoi. He was acting… weird, but he wasn’t _ actually _ acting weird? It’s something I can’t describe. There was just _ something _ off about him. And it may be nothing but I- I don’t like it. I don’t like that I can’t figure out what it is either.”

“His scent has grown stronger,” Whitebeard said, catching Marco slightly off guard with that statement.

“What do you mean, yoi?” Marco asked.

“I’ve noticed Ace’s scent has grown stronger in the time that he has stayed with us,” Whitebeard clarified, “Or maybe we’ve just grown more in tune to his weak scent. I can’t say either way yet. But there has been a change in either his scent or our ability to pick up on it, so while it still isn’t as ‘strong’ as it should be, nor does it smell _ ‘right’ _. And you might now be finding his scent easier and therefore noticing on his mood changes from his scent or even the issues with his health which you weren’t able to smell before.”

“That… makes sense,” Marco nodded.

“And that could also explain his sudden mood swings between peace and unease as well,” Whitebeard continued, “If we can more easily pick up on his scent or if his scent has grown stronger, then he might be finding _ our _ scents easier or stronger as well. I’m not sure if that’s what is actually happening but if it is, then he could be finding that being surrounded by so many scents overwhelming and alarming. After all, Ace has been alone for a while now and even if he isn’t fully aware of it, he might be struggling with now being surrounded by wolves.”

“I… I can understand that,” Marco said, “_ But _ , shouldn’t that… _ help _ him more than hurt him?”

“Oh? And how do you figure that?” Whitebeard questioned, wondering how his son got to that assumption, “I don’t necessarily think that you’re wrong but I’m not following what you mean by that.”

Marco licked his lips, taking a moment to put together what he wanted to say before speaking, “Werewolves belong in packs and it’s proven that wolves get ‘sick’ when alone and the only way to fix that is to be integrated into a welcoming pack, yoi. Right?” He asked, waiting for Whitebeard to nod before continuing, “So, by that logic, wouldn’t Ace staying here be helping him? I mean I get that the last few days have been… well it hasn’t been easy on him and from what he’s told me, the past few years haven’t been pleasant either. But we’ve been through sort of similar situations with some other pack members and what’s helped them was having contact with other wolves that were welcoming. Like with Thatch, he had no wolf contact for _ months _ before he joined us other than… well, _ them _, and it was difficult for him to grow used to being around us but in the end, his biology needed a pack to stay healthy and we were able to help him. But with Ace, it seems like every time we get closer to helping him, it makes it worse for him. And he’s been alone for so long, I can’t wrap my head around… Any of this!” Marco exclaimed, frustration showing on his face before his expression fell and he sighed, “I mean, I know I can’t really compare any two situations but… It’s frustrating and I don’t know what to do… Whatever I think would work for another wolf just seems to make things more complicated.”

Whitebeard let them sit in silence, watching Marco stare down at his own hands until he sure that his son was done airing his own frustration.

“You are not wrong. We need a pack, whether it be one made up of wolves or any other species, whether it be a pack of a thousand member or only a few, packs of any type are vital to a wolf’s health. You are correct in assuming that would work for a normal wolf,” Whitebeard said softly and Marco looked back up at him, “But Ace is not a normal wolf. Even if we ignore that he might have some other issues with being around packs or with his health which might play a part in why he reacts to us the way he does, we must also take into account the fact that Ace is a D. when we think about the big picture for how to help him. That’s a fact we’ve been neglecting to take into account as other things have been... taking our attention away from what our main focus was,” Whitebeard watched Marco’s face as he took in that explanation before he continued speaking, “And it’s been known for a long time that D.s are far removed from humans, fae, or any other species that can intersect with wolves. There is so little known about D.s, their existence has long been a mystery to all and their biology isn’t easily studied nor is their psychology. It can only be assumed that while a turned wolf regardless of species before transformation or a born wolf would have a fairly predictable reaction to ‘pack separation syndrome’, D.s are not as easily predictable. While being reintroduced to a pack is the easiest way to help a lone wolf, given that they haven’t gone feral yet, we can’t say for certain that will work for Ace. 

“And honestly, I’m a little surprised that he hasn’t already gone feral, normally it would only take a year and some months of solitude to irreparably damage a wolf’s psyche,” Whitebeard continued, “And Ace has been alone for three years now? I mean, he hasn’t been completely isolated from _ all _ contact, no. But he has been without a pack for far longer than what would be possible for _ any _ wolf to survive, let alone for him be as ‘stable’ as he is, without there being something else going on that causes his biology to react so differently than what would be typical. With the information we have, we can only attribute that to him being a D.. So, keeping that in mind, I don’t think we can safely assume that Ace would assimilate into a pack as smoothly or eagerly as another wolf would in his situation. If anything, it’s very possible that he could have a negative reaction to not even joining a pack, but to just living close to one. Especially since he didn’t actually have a choice but to temporarily be here. That alone could be causing him great mental distress, but since there are so many of us, it may be too much for his psyche to handle.”

“Almost like an overdose?” Marco supplied.

“Maybe,” Whitebeard said, “or maybe he’s just uncomfortable with everything. We don’t know, we can’t say for certain one way or another without asking Ace ourselves and approaching that subject so far hasn’t been fruitful. So, we can only keep an eye on Ace for anything troubling and hope that he’ll let us help him if anything does come up.”

Marco heave out a sigh, leaning back in his chair until the front legs came off the floor and he pinched nose, muttering under his breath, “Damn it… I don’t think we’ve ever had this many issues trying to adopt a member of our pack before, yoi…”

“Would you say its not worth the trouble trying to adopt him then?” Whitebeard asked, a slight smirk on his face as he already knew the answer, and Marco lifted his hand from his face to shoot his father a weak scowl, he leaned forward and the chairs legs hit the floor with a _ ‘thud’ _.

“_Hell no_.” he said, still scowling slightly and his shoulders squared with determination shining in his eyes, “it’s way too late for us to back out now. We’re gonna help that brat, whether he likes it or not. And whether its official or not, it doesn’t matter, he’s our family now, yoi. And we will always help our family.”

With a fond smile, Whitebeard spoke, “I’m glad you still feel that way,” he watched Marco’s body relax as he sunk back into his chair a little, “now that we’ve addressed that, while you’re still here, why don’t you help me go through the rest of my work?”

Marco rolled his eyes and let out another sigh, this one sarcastic and over dramatic rather than exhausted.

“Alright, what do you want me to do, yoi?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter ended up kinda meh but whatever, I got a cold a few days ago and I’m only now getting over it so I’m blaming any mistakes and weirdness in this chapter on the fact that I’m still a little silly from it. BUT I’m already working on the next chapter which is a lot better already and things will pick up again soon!! And I also just needed to get some of the more mellow chapters written out and they are just too long to have as one chapter ya know? 
> 
> Uh, anyways, hope y’all enjoyed this chapter regardless!!! As always, I’ll be back next week with another chapter!!! Until next time!! Bye!!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace finally gets back home but home doesn’t feel so sweet now. And The Whitebeards thought Teach was their biggest hurdle to jump when adopting Ace, but will soon discover it’s actually going to be his self worth issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m like 95% sure the first part of this chapter was actually supposed to be in the last chapter but I’m too lazy to fix it and it doesn’t really matter imo but sorry about that lmao
> 
> Regardless I hope y’all like this chapter

The days after Teach’s attack played out fairly uneventfully. Ace had to go down to the infirmary a few times for some further check ups-- Joy was adamant that she had to monitor his healing process as recovering from injuries sustained in a human form would heal different than wounds sustained in a wolf form which was news to Ace but he didn’t bother to question it. He’d gotten used to her telling him things about his health that he didn’t understand.

He had also started to spend most of his time out of his room and in Thatch’s kitchen after the other had brought him down to the kitchen one day for lunch. Ace only really ate lunch there and for the most part, only a few members of the pack would be there. For the most part, only Thatch, obviously, and oftentimes Whitebeard, Marco, and/or Haruta would there when he ate or was just handing out but occasionally there would be others like Jozu or Izo or some of the nurses and…

It was really nice. 

While Ace wasn’t really a part of the pack and he definitely was still nervous about being around so many wolves-- and he was constantly reminded that he was surrounded by wolves as he could hear the pack just outside of the kitchen-- it was easy to ignore his discomfort when he was with the members of the pack he’d gotten to know and had grown comfortable with and when the wolves he wasn’t yet comfortable with were so kind around him. So, somehow, their constant presences had became comforting background noise. 

In a way, he decided one day at lunch as he listened to Thatch talk about what recipe he was trying and he could hear faint snippets of a conversation between voices he didn’t yet recognize from elsewhere in the manor fading in and out, it was peaceful… Ace could just close his eyes and listen to the noise around him that served as a reminder that he would never be alone in the manor.

A sudden loud crash which was followed by equally loud shouts startled Ace back into reality.

So much for ‘peaceful’...

“Now what are they arguing about now,” Thatch said, looking up from the stove to the kitchen door as the shouting on the other side quieted down for a second then picked back up as someone starting cursing. A look of realization came over his face and he laughed, “Oh wait, I think I know.”

“What happened? And who was it?” Ace asked, looking at the door as well. While he still couldn’t recognize most of the Whitebeard pack yet, Thatch could easily tell what was going on just from the sound of something breaking-- or at least he claimed he could.

“Mmm…” Thatch wiped his hands on a towel before scratching his chin in thought, “Sounded like… Izo and… Kingdew… So I’m gonna say a prank went wrong and Izo ain’t happy about it.”

Ace nodded, he watched the door as the arguing continued until another voice, one he immediately recognized as Marco’s, interrupted them.

“And Mama Hen comes to the rescue right on schedule,” Thatch laughed, smiling as they could hear Marco’s voice _ clearly _ as he scolded his siblings. 

Ace smiled, he listened a little longer then turned to Thatch, “He really does play the peacekeeper around here, doesn’t he?”

“Pretty much, but,” Thatch flashed him a grin, “Marco hasn’t always been the Mama Hen he is now. He used to be really wild actually.”

“Really?” Ace tilted his head. That was surprising to hear but… Marco told him he had been turned as a teenager so it made sense.

“Yup!” Thatch said as he turned back to the stove, still speaking as he got back to cooking, “He really matured when our pack started growing though. But every once in a while, he gets bored of being the mature one and BOOM!” Thatch threw his hands up and turned back at Ace with a wide grin, ”Chaos! Out of fucking no where with no warning and by the time you figure out what’s happening it’s too late! And when Marco goes on a prancing streak no one is safe, the last time it happened I ended up with white hair and I… I still don’t know how he did that… One morning I just woke up and when I looked in the mirror I looked crazy! He even got my eyebrows and goatee too!”

Ace couldn’t stop himself from snickering at that mental image, “I- I’m sorry but-“ Ace tried to apologize for laughing but couldn’t through his giggle, he was about to try again when Thatch started laughing as well.

“Oh, if you think that’s funny,” Thatch was reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone, “What till you see the pictures, I looked fucking insane.”

“Holy fuck you do.”

“Haruta kept calling me ‘Jack Frost’ until I got it dyed back,” Thatch said, “Oh! Here’s a really good picture- - this was actually right before an emergency Yonko meeting.”

With that, Thatch launched into another story and Ace found himself unable to speak through his laughter. He was so wrapped up in Thatch’s story he didn’t notice the fighting beyond the kitchen had long stopped nor had he noticed a familiar presence just outside the door, listening in on them with a smile on his face.

Marco would get Thatch back later for setting up that petty fight between Izo and Kigndew. 

This was the most he had heard Ace laugh yet and-

“I’m kinda sad I missed it.”

“How ‘bout this, next time I’ll call you up so you can get a good look at the wreckage, eh? And if you play you’re cards right, I’ll even let you in on the action, Acey?”

“I might take you up on that offer.”

Yeah, Marco could come back later.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Ace only had a few more days until he would be healed enough to go home, according to Joy. 

Which meant that various members of the pack were working overtime to make friends with Ace before he left. And Whitebeard was working a bit of overtime himself on making sure Ace was comfortable enough with them to keep in contact once he left. One of his biggest frets had been that Ace would just disappear after leaving the manor and that did not sit well on Whitebeard’s consciousness. He was determined to make sure Ace knew he could count on them if anything happened, even if he didn’t join their pack, he would at least be an ally and they would welcome him. 

It was going surprisingly well. 

Whitebeard had to be careful about how he went about it though. Ace was still wary of them, he did go through phases of being extremely friendly only to pull away if he noticed his change in behavior. But he was opening up to them.

Ace had begun to share some stories about his life before he moved to Sixis, mostly little ones, though he did tell Whitebeard more about how he met Shanks. That lead to Ace confessing he actually lost the phone he had when he met Shanks that contained all of Shanks’ contact information aside from an email address and he hadn’t left his information for Shanks because...

_ “I didn’t want to bother him,” _ Ace had confessed, _ “I… if he just gave me his information because I’m Luffy’s brother… I didn’t want him to feel obligated to stay in touch with me because of that. If I really had to... I would contact him but I’ve tried to avoid being a bother...” _

That was the child’s reasoning for not contacting Shanks since they had parted ways. Ace had kept his email just in case he absolutely needed to get in touch with Shanks but he would only use it if he had no other choice.

If only he knew just how much Shanks had been pestering Whitebeard for updates on Ace… Updates that Whitebeard had kept vague so that he didn’t betray Ace’s trust...

So, Whitebeard, with Ace’s permission of course, had given Shanks Ace’s updated contact information after that conversation. He wanted to prove to Ace that he _wasn’t_ a bother and the easiest way to do it was for Shanks to reach out first. It was heartwarming to see how Ace’s face lit up when Shanks immediately called him. He talked with Shanks for the first time in a long time and they spoke for hours over the phone.

Whitebeard would have to see if Ace would be up for a lunch meeting with Shanks at some point. 

  
  


* * *

Ace spent almost two weeks in total with the Whitebeards, before he was deemed well enough to go back home.

He would never say it out loud, but Ace was a little sad that he wouldn’t be staying at with the pack any longer. He knew it was for the best, he had work orders piling up and he was sure the Whitebeards would like to have him out so they could go back to their normal routines without having to worry about him.

“Are you sure you’re alright to go home?” Whitebeard asked as he watched over Ace as he put his bag into Marco’s car, “If you need, you can stay and recuperate longer.”

Ace shook his head, “Thank you,” he said, “but I’m sure. And anyways, I really should get back home.”

“If you’re sure…” Whitebeard frowned before he gave Ace’s shoulder a small squeeze and looked into his eyes as he spoke, “But if you change your mind, we’re only a phone call away if you need us.”

Ace would always be caught off guard whenever Whitebeard spoke to him with such sincerity. And he did it often after the night Teach attack, Ace had discovered. So he should be able to prepare for the random moments when Whitebeard would look him in the eye and speak to him with a soft, reassuring tone that made Ace’s chest ache, but he couldn’t get used to it. He’d always end up unable to look at Whitebeard and finding it difficult to continue the conversation.

And this time was no different from all the others. Ace bowed his head and nodded, muttering softly, “Thank you… I’ll… I’ll call if I need anything.”

Whitebeard kept his hand on Ace’s shoulder for another moment before giving it one last squeeze as he stepped back. 

“Good,” he said, glancing back as the door into the garage opened up and Marco came in, followed by Thatch who was carrying a bag with him, “Ah, Marco. Ready to go now?”

“Aye,” Marco said, “Thatch just wanted to stall me for a minute so could make sure everything was ready for Ace.”

Ace looked confused as Thatch handed the bag over to him, “Huh?”

“It’s not much,” Thatch said, smiling at him, “But I figured you may not have much at home since you’ve been gone awhile, so I made you a few meals to have on hand.”

Ace blinked in surprise, “Oh! You didn’t- Thank you! But you didn’t have to go to the trouble-“

Thatch cut him off with a wave of his hand, “I wanted to.”

“But…” Ace looked down at the bag again, it was heavy and he had gotten to know Thatch well enough to know there was probably a lot of food inside… He was grateful but he didn’t know how to say a proper thank you…

“And, hey!” Thatch said, “I tried a couple of new recipes so this gives me an excuse to bug ya so I can get your opinion on ‘em!”

Ace smiled and laughed a little at that, he knew Thatch was only joking but that sounded like a good way for him to show his appreciation, “Of course. You have my number, right?”

“Yup!” Thatch grinned.

“Now,” Marco said, pulling their attention to him. He was smiling warmly at the both of them, standing in front of the driver’s side door as he spoke, “Are you ready to now, yoi?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Ace said, he smiled once more at Thatch before he turned to bow slightly to Whitebeard, “Thank you again for letting me stay here and for all you’ve done to help me, I cannot express my thanks enough.”

“We were glad to help you, Ace,” Whitebeard said, “And, once more, please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you need anything.”

Ace nodded again and gave Whitebeard and Thatch a small wave. He put the bag of food in the car with his stuff and climbed inside the passenger side as Marco started the car. Marco exchanged a few more words with Whitebeard, he glanced at Ace to check that he was ready to go once he was done. When Ace gave him the okay, he turned the engine on and the car roared to life.

“Alright,” Marco said, “Let’s get you home.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Marco dropped Ace off and helped him take his stuff inside. Ace offered him a drink which Marco accepted and he offered put the food away so Ace could get his stuff put away.

“Thanks,” Ace said as he handed Marco a glass of water, “But I can do it.”

Marco nodded, taking a sip of water, “Alright, if you’re sure. And you’ve got all of our numbers, right, yoi?”

Ace nodded, “I do. I’ll…” He hesitated for a moment, “I’ll call if I need anything?” It came out as more of a question than a statement, he wanted to make sure he actually could call and that they weren’t just being polite with the offer. 

“Of course,” Marco said, he drank the rest of his water before setting the glass down, “And if you’re sure you’ve got everything, I’ll leave you to get settled?”

“I’m sure,” Ace smiled, “Thank you again for helping me… with everything, I mean. I… I really appreciate and I wish I could repay you all for-“

“Stop,” Marco cut him off, “You don’t need to worry about that. We were glad to help you-- it was mostly our fault you needed help anyways… And we’ll be glad to help you in the future if you need us.”

Ace didn’t know what to say, so he thanked Marco once more and walked with him out to his car. Ace waved goodbye as Marco pulled out and waited until he could no longer see the other’s car to head back inside.

The first thing Ace did when he got inside was lock the front door, turning the deadbolt and latching the chain as well for good measure. He knew that Teach was gone and what was left of his pack had been detained but he was alone now and taking a couple of extra safety measures helped ease his mind a little. 

The next thing he did was go to work putting the food Thatch gave him away. Thankfully Thatch had left a little note with the food on how to store the food, how long each thing could be stored for, and how to prepare each dish when he was ready to eat it.

Ace would really have to find a way to thank him for that.

Ace set to work tossing the food in his fridge that had spoiled in his time away from home and making room for everything. With everything put away, save for one dish of chicken Parmesan which he turned the oven on pre-heat so he could have dinner after finishing up the rest of his chores, Ace got up to put his other things away.

But for some reason he was having trouble settling down. Ace couldn’t put his finger on it, but for some reason he felt weird. It was like there was an itch he couldn’t scratch, a word he had forgotten on the tip of his tongue. 

He felt strange as he put his laptop on its charger and set to work putting his dirty laundry aside to wash later. It was only when his phone buzzed, the first noise that wasn’t from him, a text from Whitebeard glowing on the screen did it dawn on Ace why he felt strange.

His home was so still. So quiet. So… empty.

It really was nothing like the Whitebeards’ manor, which was so full of life. Even on the quietest nights on the emptiest wings there still held signs that it was a home. Even when he was alone he still felt like there was someone just out of reach that he could call out for…

He never noticed how alone he felt in his own home until then. It had been easy to ignore the isolation when he had been alone for so long.

Ace stared down at his hands as he stopped putting his used clothing in the hamper. His clothing smelled like their home now. The hoodie he wore smelled more like their pack than it did like him.

Ace didn’t notice the tears falling as he buried his face in the shirt he held, his heart ached when he took a deep breath and all he could smell was the pack’s scent.

He didn’t want to wash it. He didn’t want to lose the comfort of their scents.

Ace choked on a sob, he was right. It hurt that he could only have a taste of what it meant to be in a pack that loved their members when he knew he would never be allowed to have that.

He’d gotten so close to having a family and it _ killed _ him to know he should never get what they have. 

It was selfish, he was selfish. He was ashamed of it, but he couldn’t help it.

Ace didn’t want to be alone again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyy we’re back on the angst-y-selfloating Ace train now folks lmao I feel awful for it but uh, let’s be real, hurt makes the comfort so much sweeter. He’ll definitely need another hug soon tho,,, The next full moon will be fun
> 
> Anyways, hope y’all enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned to see how Ace being out of the Whitebeards’ territory is gonna affect them in the future!!! Until next time!! Bye!!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next full moon approaches and as it does Ace’s anxiety builds. And the Whitebeard’s have their own worries about the moon. Hopefully they’ll figure out how to make it work for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little less ansgt-y Than the last one but I like it a lot lol
> 
> Anyways!!! Hope y’all enjoy this chapter!!

Ace spent the next several days after returning home, working. He had a lot of things to catch up on and it was a nice distraction to be immersed in his craft, that way he didn’t have to think about how lonely he felt. It seemed he didn’t get lucky like he hoped and his body was going through ‘pack separation syndrome’ again. 

His soul ached and his anxiety would flare up randomly, he couldn’t count the amount of times he woke up in a panic, searching for a familiar scent or listening for a threat, only to realize he was alone. At some point he stopped sleeping most of the night, he couldn’t fall asleep easily, each little noise in his house or outside keeping him from falling asleep, and when he did get to sleep his dreams would be plagued with nightmares. After a few sleepless nights, Ace had to resolve to taking short naps in hopes that would make up for his missed sleep. He couldn’t eat either, he was so anxious he got sick from the smell of food alone or he just didn’t have the motivation to make anything to eat. He was lucky if he could force himself to get one meal eaten In a day. He wouldn’t be able to thank Thatch enough for the pre-made meals, as those were usually the one meal he managed to eat.

Which brought him to his other source of anxiety. Ace hadn’t actually seen any of the Whitebeards since he got home which made him feel worse than his lack of sleep or appetite. He desperately wanted to see them again, every fiber of his being, every instinct he had, screamed at him to go back to the Whitebeards. But he couldn’t. Ace had a feeling that to get through separation syndrome, he’d need to keep his distance as he rode out the worst of it so he wouldn’t get attached to them unconsciously. 

He did, however, get several texts from Whitebeard and his pack each day that helped to quell the loneliness. For the most part, they were checking in on him seeing as he hadn’t ran into any of them in town yet because he had only actually been into town twice. Once to drop off some packages for sales that weren’t custom orders and once to do some desperately needed grocery shopping. He only allowed himself to text them, declining any invitations to meet up with any of them, citing that he was too behind on his work-- which wasn’t a complete lie-- so he couldn’t make time currently but he promised that he would find a day in the future. He just had to wait for his body to accept that he was staying alone. 

_ Bzzt. _

Ace paused his work his phone buzzed, interrupting the music he had going in the background. He turned off the dremel he was using and he tugged off his face mask and goggles as he reached for his phone on the work bench behind the one he was at. Speaking of which, that would probably be one of them or Shanks…

Shanks had talked with him many times once he got Ace’s number and Ace didn’t know what to make of that but he decided he liked talking with Shanks. So until Shanks stopped talking with him, he’d keep better contact with Shanks. Their last conversation a few hours ago had been about lunch plans with Whitebeard before Shanks had to dip out for a bit to take care of an issue with his pack.

He grabbed his phone and opened it, he tapped the messages app and smiled at the message. 

_ Thatch: ‘Hey Acey! I wanted to check in on you _

_ Don’t forget to eat dinner!’ _

Thatch had been texting Ace later in the day to check in on him since he had gotten home, he’d almost always remind Ace to eat dinner like he knew that Ace had been struggling with it. 

Ace looked from his phone, back to his work bench where a piece for quartz he was carving into a sigil necklace for a custom order. He still needed to finish cleaning up the sigil and he would still have to polish it… Ace glanced out his window and noted the sun was already setting so he didn’t have time to finish up before it would be too dark to work.

With a sigh, Ace sent a quick text to Thatch, saying he was about to eat now, then went to work putting his tools away and he put the necklace in his ‘work in progress’ box to make sure it was safe. Once everything was put away and his work space was cleaned up a bit, Ace turned off the space heater and tugged on his jacket as he unlocked the shed door, flicking the light off as he stepped outside. Immediately he shivered at the cool air and was glad he brought a jacket with him, he hadn’t realized how cold it would get.

He made sure to relock the shed’s door from the outside before heading back to his house. Ace tipped his head back as he walked, taking in the twilight sky. Hues of pink and purple bleed into blues, stars were already starting to come out as the light faded and the moon rose.

The next full moon was coming up soon, Ace mused as he climbed the stairs up his porch, he wondered how that was going to go for him. 

He would probably have to lock himself in his shed to make sure he didn’t freak out. While he didn’t have to worry about Teach, Ace still worried that there could be part of the man’s pack left that would come after him. Or-- more logically-- Ace worried that he’d hurt himself if he didn’t hide away, if he had a panic attack while in wolf form…

He could end up severely injuring himself that way, he knew that from experience.

Maybe… He… He _ could _ try to see if he could spend the full moon with the Whitebeards…

Ace hesitated in front of his door as the thought entered his head before shaking his head and pushing his door open.

No. No he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t ask that of them. He’d just have to deal with the full moon himself.

With that decided, Ace hung his jacket by the door and went to wash up before starting on dinner.

  
  


* * *

  
  


There were only a few days before the full moon and Ace felt like he was going mad. As each day passed he found it harder to think clearly, Ace didn’t think he had felt this way since leaving Dawn. His instincts were alight, each nerve ending in his body was burning as his anxiety built along with a feeling far more primal. 

Dread and excitement. He was anticipating both the worst case scenario and hoping for the best all while just being so damn unfocused.

And Ace hated it because he knew why he was excited, he knew his instincts believed he would be spending another moon with the Whitebeards even though the last one hadn’t been _‘great’, _he had spent it with a pack _and _he woke up safe which hadn’t happened in so long. He wanted to do that again, he wanted to spend another moon with them and he wanted to wake up safe again. As much as he tried, he couldn’t convince his body and mind that he wasn’t joining their pack. He couldn’t stomp out that flicker of hope that burned in his heart.

“Ace?” Someone said, causing Ace to glance up at the voice and he smiled when he realized it was Marco. 

He wasn’t helping himself either as he wasn’t exactly distancing himself from the source of his ‘problems’... In fact, he was pretty much going out of his way to do the exact opposite of that.

“Hey,” Ace smiled, Marco had asked him if they could have coffee together the next time Ace was in town and Ace had agreed easily. He couldn’t stay away from the pack, whether they were inviting him for lunch plans or just stopping him while he was out for a quick chat, Ace found it impossible to stay away.

Marco smiled back but there was poorly concealed concern behind it, “You alright? I was standing here for a while before you noticed me, yoi.”

With a sheepish laugh and grin, Ace scratched the back of his neck before brushing off the concern, “I’m fine, just… I was just thinkin’ ya know?”

It was obvious that Marco didn’t fully believe him, but regardless he nodded, “If you say so…” He said, “I’m gonna order my drink then I’ll join you?”

“Sounds good,” Ace smiled. He watched Marco head to the front counter and forced himself to relax before he came back. Marco had asked for a meeting with him for a reason, he couldn’t be lost in his head.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“So,” Marco said as he sat down across from Ace, he slid a paper bag across the table to the younger and watched as Ace’s face lit up when he saw that Marco had gotten him a muffin, “Firstly, thank you for saying yes to meeting with me.”

Ace flashed him a smile, already starting to eat the muffin, “No problem! Thanks for the muffin!” He said in between bites.

They had now gotten past the time when Ace would try protest things being bought for him or when he would try to pay Marco-- or anyone else-- back for whatever was bought.

Marco let Ace get in a couple more bites before speaking, “How’ve you been?” 

“I’m doing fine,” Ace said. Marco could tell he wasn’t telling the full truth, it was obvious from the dark circles under his eyes and how his skin looked more ashen than it had when he left their manor. He didn’t look like he was doing well but he wasn’t avoiding them and his scent wasn’t as unnoticeable as it once had been, which… Well it wasn’t great but they could work with this. They could still help him.

“That’s good.” Marco nodded, taking a sip of his coffee.

“How’s the pack doing?” Ace asked after another bite.

“Everyone’s been well,” Marco said, “We’re just preparing for the moon…” he paused, watching Ace for a moment, “I… I actually have a question about that, yoi.”

Ace said nothing but he raised an eyebrow, giving him the ‘go ahead’ with a tilt of his head. 

Marco took a deep breath and started talking, “So, I guess you know the drill-- if you aren’t okay with this, just say so-- but Pops has been talking and…”

“And…?” Ace prompted when Marco trailed off.

“We would like you to join us or have someone from our pack join you for the upcoming full moon, yoi,” Marco said, pacing his words carefully, “I know its sudden and a strange request, but…” By the moon this was such an awkward request. He didn’t know how to say that they were worried about him to the point that none of their pack was comfortable with the idea of Ace being alone during the full moon without making his pack sound like they were obsessed with him…

“I’ll think about it,” Ace said, surprising Marco as he continued, “I’ll be honest… I wasn’t really looking… _ forward _ to the next moon but I didn’t… I didn’t know if…” He licked his lips and looked down at his drink, “I didn’t if I should… bring it up, ya know?”

Marco felt a wave of relief wash over him and he nodded, “It’s a little awkward to ask us things still, isn’t it?”

“Y-yeah,” Ace let out a soft, nervous laugh, his shoulders tense as he spoke, “A little bit… Sorry…”

“It’s fine, Ace,” Marco said, he took another sip of his drink as he let Ace relax some, drinking his own hot chocolate as he looked out the window to their left. Marco looked out the window as well, watching the cars on the street and the snow start to fall as he started thinking.

They still had a long way to go with Ace, it seemed. It felt as though with every step they took forward they took the risk of sliding back to square one which… It wasn’t fun but they had gone through it before. Marco didn’t want to sound… well obsessive, but he did feel like Ace _ did _ like them and that he _ did _ want to be around them but there was something that prevented him from saying it. 

“It’s-“ Ace began, pulling Marco’s attention back to him, “It’s okay if I get back to you all? Like, later… tonight?”

With a smile, Marco nodded, “Of course,” He said, “Take all the time you need, yoi. Just let us know before the full moon so we can figure out what we’ll do.”

Ace ducked his head down, his hair blocking his face as he said nothing for a moment before nodding. He looked up and gave Marco a tired, but sincere smile, “Thank you.”

“Any time.”

This… this just might work.

  
  


* * *

  
  


When Marco got home he went straight to his Pops’ office. He paused at the closed office door, listening in on his Pops talking on the other side of the door. 

_“Of course,”_ Whitebeard said and Marco guessed he was on the phone from the tone of his voice, _“I’ll be sure to ask... Yes, that sounds like a plan... Alright. We’ll speak more later then goodbye Shanks.”_

Marco waited for another moment after he heard the sound of his Pops hanging up his phone before raising his fist to knock, only for Whitebeard’s voice to call out.

_”Come in, son.”_

Smiling, Marco pushed open the door and stepped inside the office.

”Hey, Pops,” he said, making his way over to the desk and sitting down in one of the chairs across from Whitebeard.

”Hello,” Whitebeard said, “How did it go with Ace?”

“I’d say it went well,” Marco said, scratching his chin, “He said he was going to think over the offer and get back to us later but... I think he’ll at least let one of us stay with him.”

”Oh?”

”Yeah,” Marco smiled, “He said he actually was thinking about asking us anyways but wasn’t sure if he wanted to, yoi.”

He would leave out that it was more that Ace was actually more hesitant to ask them for help most likely due to fear of rejection than it was that he just wasn’t sure if he wanted too or not. But, by the crease of Whitebeard’s eyes, Marco could tell he had an idea already about what was really going on.

“Well, I suppose that’s good,” Whitebeard said after a moment, he sat back in his chair.

”I’d say so,” Marco nodded, “But we’ll just have to wait and see what he says.”

Three hours after Marco and Whitebeard’s talk, Marco got a text on his phone that simply read:

_Ace: ‘If the offer still stands, _

_I’d like to talk more about one of you staying over for the moon.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo any guesses on how the full moon will go? XD I’ve got some stuff up my sleeve that I hope y’all will like but that will be the next chapter!! 
> 
> Well until next time!! Hope ya liked this one and I’ll be back for another chapter soon (and maybe a chapter of the side fic too if I get it done lol)
> 
> Bye!!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Whitebeards must decide who is going into Ace’s territory for the full moon. It’s a tough decision but really, the answer is quite obvious on who the perfect picks are.
> 
> Meanwhile, Ace does a little prepping for the full moon and gets comfortable with his guests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!!! I hope everyone likes who I picked to join Ace for the moon (and who knows, maybe by the next moon, Ace will be joining the Whitebeards in their territory ;) ). I’m pretty predictable so I’m sure y’all could guess who it is- I also chose two people cause I can and I’m a sucker for sweet stuff lmao
> 
> Aaaannnyways!!! Hope y’all enjoy!!!

Ace had another meeting with Marco the next day, this time Whitebeard decided to tag along so that he could speak with Ace as well. And in Ace’s opinion, the meeting went pretty well. They talked about the upcoming full moon and what Ace would be alright with in terms of him not being alone.

In the end, it was decided that two of the Whitebeards would join Ace in his territory instead of Ace joining them in theirs. The reason for two wolves instead of one being that if anything happened, there would be someone that could theoretically alert Whitebeard and also someone to hang back in Ace’s territory. Ace tried not to be too offended by the way they hinted that he couldn’t take care of himself or even retreat if he needed but he bit his tongue when he realized that the evidence proving their assumption was stacked against him. So he agreed to having two wolves join him.

But _ who _ would be joining him was something they hadn’t decided on yet.

There were several Whitebeards that Ace would be comfortable with spending the full moon with. Whitebeard and Marco were the first two to come to mind but Whitebeard was the pack leader and Marco was the second in command so it would make sense if neither of them could join him. He had other members he was friends with that would work, like Thatch, or Haruta, or Izo that were just a few names he thought of.

And Ace told them that much, he told him the names of the pack members he would be fine with staying in his territory and told them that they could decide who would be joining him. He hoped that the request wasn’t too bothersome for them and he hoped that whoever was chosen wouldn’t be irritated that they would be spending the full moon with him instead of their pack…

  
  


* * *

  
  


“So, only two of us will be spending the moon with Ace?” Thatch asked.

Whitebeard and Marco had only just gotten home and they had both barely sat down in the living room before being bombarded by questions about what was happening for the full moon.

“Correct,” Whitebeard nodded, he didn’t hide his grin as he children all perked up at that and stared at him expectantly.

After only a few seconds of silence, Haruta was the first to break.

“Well?! Who's going?!”

With a smirk, Marco spoke up, “Ace gave us a list of names that he’d allow to stay with him and Pops just need to decide on who’s gonna go, yoi.”

“Who’s on the list?” Thatch asked, leaning forward in his seat towards his brother, “We already know that one of them is Marco, so who else?”

“Why are you assuming Marco is going?” Whitebeard asked with a raised brow.

Thatch gave the pack leader a deadpan look, “Marco is always the first choice, he’s the second in command for a reason.”

The rest of the pack all muttered in agreement and Whitebeard chuckled, he couldn’t argue with that.

“In that case,” Whitebeard said, “yes, Marco is one of the two that are going. I’m still debating between Thatch and Izo for the other spot.”

Right after he said that, most of his children groaned in disappointment while Thatch let out a small cheer.

“Wait!” Haruta said, disappointment clear on their face, “Were they the only ones on the list?”

“No,” Whitebeard said, “Ace actually gave us quite a long list, but I’m making my choice according to how Ace acted the last moon and how each of you act during the moon. Haruta, I’m sorry to say, that while you were on the list, you might be a little too overwhelming.”

Haruta pouted but nodded, “I understand,” then they grinned, “But hey! I _ was _ on the list!”

That got a chuckle out of most of the wolves. A couple asked if they were on the list while some gave Haruta a small ‘congrats’ in the form of a shoulder punch or noogie which Haruta protested. As the room got a little too loud, Izo decided to speak up.

“If it’s alright to voice my opinion, Pops,” She started, the room quieting down as her siblings knew better than to speak over her, “I think that Thatch should go.”

Her statement seemed to take almost everyone by surprise. Thatch especially as he eyed Izo with no small amount of suspicion.

“Oh? And why is that?” Whitebeard questioned, though he already felt as if he knew what her reasoning was before she even explained it.

“Well, for one,” Izo started, sitting up a bit more, “I’m not a wolf _and _I’m not _only_ a fox, but I also have Kitsune blood. And while Ace _ does _ know that already, it’s a bit of a culture shock when you aren’t used to it. The transformation is... a lot stranger than a wolf’s transformation or even a fox without Kitsune blood.” 

She did have a point, that was one of the hang ups Whitebeard had with sending Izo.

“And,” She continued, “Ace is a lot closer to Thatch than he is to me. If I had to bet, I would put money on Thatch being the first name on that list?”

Whitebeard didn’t confirm or deny that, but he did glance over his other children, quietly thinking to himself as he took in their expressions. It seemed that a decision had been made for him.

“If that is the case,” Whitebeard said, he watched for any signs of protest as he spoke, but there were none, “then I guess the choice has been made. Unless there are any objections, Marco and Thatch will join Ace in his territory this moon. Aye?”

“Aye, Pops.” His pack chorused back at him, some nodding in agreement as they did.

“Alright,” Whitebeard smiled, “In that case, Marco, Thatch, please join me in my office to catch Ace up to speed. Everyone else, you are dismissed.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Ace got the call early in the evening from Whitebeard about who was being sent over as he was in the middle of cleaning up his house. He was ecstatic to hear that Marco and Thatch were the two coming over and they made plans for them to come to Ace’s house the afternoon before the night of the full moon. 

So that meant Ace had a little less that another day to get ready for the full moon…

With another look over his room, Ace let out a sigh and got to work vacuuming and making sure the room was presentable enough for guests.

Ace wasn’t sure how the Whitebeards’ were after a full moon, hell, he didn’t even remember what Dadan’s pack was like after the full moon, but if they were anything like him then he would need to make sure he had a space for them to crash after the moon. He didn’t have any guest rooms so he was planning on letting them crash in his bed and he’d take his couch, it wouldn’t be any trouble for him as he could probably sleep anywhere even vaguely bed-like after the full moon. 

Once he was done vacuuming, his bedding he threw in the wash earlier would be ready to be thrown in the drier and he would start on cleaning up his bathroom, then the living room, then the kitchen. He’d finish cleaning up his house tonight then he’d go out in the morning to make sure he was stocked up on anything he’d need and also drop off some orders.

He was anxious as hell for the upcoming moon but he could do this. He’s made it through moons far worse than this one could be. 

_He could get through this moon._

* * *

  
  


Thatch wasn’t sure what he expected Ace’s house to be like. Sure he had seen the _ outside _ the night of Teach’s first attack, and Marco had given him a little bit of description of what the home looked like but… 

It was a normal house, a little small and a little old fashioned but still, it was just a house. 

Except…

It felt… lonely…

Maybe Thatch had just gotten accustomed to the loudness of the manor that the quiet felt wrong, but he couldn’t shake the almost overwhelming feeling of emptiness as he stepped inside the small home after his brother. 

“You guys can set your bags anywhere,” Ace said as he guided them inside, “Do either of you want anything to drink? I’ve got juice, soda, coffee, tea?”

“Water is fine, yoi,” Marco said, setting his bag down beside the couch and glancing at Thatch.

“I’ll have water too,” Thatch said, also setting his bag down beside his brother’s. 

Ace nodded and went into the kitchen, leaving Marco and Thatch to settle down themselves. Marco immediately sat down on the couch, pulling out his phone to no doubt inform Pops they got to Ace’s house safely. And Thatch decided to sit in one of the chairs with his back to the kitchen. Once seated, he took a look around the living room, noting the decor, it was definitely lived in and it was actually kind of cozy. 

A lot of the decorations were obviously well loved, but it still felt weird. Thatch almost felt like he had entered an abandoned house. Where the love and history of the house and its contents were still evident but as a whole it was lost to time. The feeling weighed heavily on Thatch’s heart because he knew what it was like to live in a house like that, he lived in one that while it was full of ‘family’, it held none of the comfort that a family home should have.

“Here,” Ace said, holding a glass beside Thatch’s head as his voice pulled the elder out of his own mind.

Thatch gave Ace a smile and a small ‘thank you’, before taking a sip of the water, watching as Ace handed Marco a glass as well before sitting down in the chair opposite of Thatch’s. There was a rather awkward stretch of silence as Ace played with his own water glass before Marco spoke up.

“Ace,” He said, “I wanted to ask before it gets too close to sundown, do you have any particular routines or rules that we should know about? I don’t want either of us to accidentally overstep or do something wrong.”

Trust the mother hen to be thinking three steps ahead, Thatch thought to himself but he could appreciate Marco’s forward thinking. 

Ace thought it over for a moment before shaking his head, “No, not really. I… I think I pretty much have a standard routine?”

“Alright,” Marco nodded, “if you think of anything though, let us know?”

“I will,” Ace agreed, then he bit his lip, pausing again as he chose his words, “What about you guys? I- I don’t have as much territory but if there’s anything you all need…?”

“We don’t really do much on the full moons outside of the usual,” Thatch said, “Mostly just pack bounding and hunting… Which we should probably make sure is okay to do in your territory?”

Ace didn’t hesitate to answer, “Of course, just don’t over hunt, yeah?”

The last part was more teasing that serious but Marco and Thatch both nodded anyways, smiling as they promised not to over hunt. The atmosphere relaxed greatly as the conversation eased on. Ace told them he usually stored clothing for the morning after in his shed and he also had a couple of after-moon kits scattered throughout his territory in case anything happened. 

“What do you usually eat before the moon?” Thatch asked, he already knew he’d probably be making a late dinner, and really he and Marco could pretty much eat anything but he wanted to know if Ace needed to eat anything in particular.

“Uh…” Ace paused, “Nothing in particular really? I’ve got some deer meat and I usually try to get a lot of calories but that’s it? I think that’s kinda normal though…”

Thatch nodded, “Mind if I cook then?”

“Not at all,” Ace shook his head, “Want me to show you where everything is?”

“That would be great,” Thatch said, getting up as Ace stood from his chair and he let the younger lead him into the small kitchen, listening as he explained where everything was and what he had.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Marco listened to Ace showing Thatch around his kitchen-- and giving him full permission to use pretty much everything in the kitchen while apologizing for not having much-- as he went through some last minute check-ins with his Pops. By the time Ace came back into the living room, Marco had gotten completely caught up with Pops. 

“Tomorrow,” Marco started after Ace had sat down, “What do you usually do after the moon, yoi?”

“What do you mean?” Ace asked with a tilt of his head.

“Just… What is your usual routine after the moon? Any chores or anything?” Marco tried, a little unsure how to be more specific.

“Uh…” Ace looked up, scratching his throat as he thought, “I don’t… think it's anything special? I usually just try to eat something, shower, then sleep for the rest of the day…”

Well that was some interesting information. Full moons could take a lot out of a wolf, but to exhaust one enough that they have to sleep for an entire day? That wasn’t normal in Marco’s experience, usually if a wolf was tired to the point of needing more than a nap after the moon to recover it meant there was something else wrong. That must be why Ace wouldn’t be spotted in town for a few days after each moon and why he always looked to haggard when he was spotted… Pops had said he suspected Ace was sick-- or maybe it was just that he was a D., but either way there was something up- - and maybe, just maybe, Marco could get some information through Ace or observing him during the moon that could clue him in on just what was going on.

“The rest of the day?” Marco kept his tone casual as he tried to dig for a little more info, “Full moons make you that tired?”

Ace let out a forced, awkward laugh, not looking at Marco as he spoke, “Y-yeah… It’s been that way for a while but it’s gotten a little worse over the years…”

How much could Marco press his luck before he got shut out?

“Really?” Marco tested, “Can I ask how long?”

Ace shrugged but he answered, “Since I was a kid, really… It got a little better for a couple of years but ya know… When I left it got worse but that’s to be expected, right?”

Marco nodded, “You’ve moved around a lot,” he said, pretending to not acknowledge actual reason, “it’s stressful so that makes sense that moons would be a little more difficult.”

“Right,” Ace agreed with a nod, he could obviously see Marco knew the real reason but he was grateful it wasn’t being brought up.

“You know what?” Thatch said from the kitchen, drawing their attention to him, “Maybe now that you’ve settled down here the moons won’t be so bad.”

Ace blinked in surprise for a second before a genuine smile overtook his face and he nodded.

“I hope so,” He said, looking down at his lap, “I really hope so…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo I didn’t write the actual full moon in this chapter cause I kinda want to do a full chapter of only werewolf shenanigans and I’m playing with how I wanna write it? And I also just realized how badly I’ve been describing the wolf form cause it’s kinda weird and I may do a full description in like the notes for the next chapter or something
> 
> Well I think that’s all?? Hope everyone liked this chapter and until next time!!! Bye!!!!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its the full moon! Marco and Thatch get the chance to bond with Ace and Ace lets himself get close to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, there is a little bit of animal death (they hunt) so heads up
> 
> I did so much research on wolf behavior for this chapter alone tho I also took a bit of creative liberty cause I’m writing about werewolves but I kept it pretty true to real wolves so... Yeah... 
> 
> Wolves lick each other a lot so I hope that’s not weird and that’s all I’m gonna say
> 
> ...
> 
> Enjoy!!

Ace looked back at Marco and Thatch one last time before he closed the door to his shed. It was a familiar routine for him, going inside the shed to transform, but this time it would be a little different. Instead of being alone when he was done transforming, Ace would be joined by other wolves for the second time in two moons…

By the moon he wasn’t ready for this.

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Ace pushed his dread aside. It was too late to change his mind now, he could already feel the effects of the full moon like fire in his veins.

He stripped himself of his clothing, ignoring how cold it was as it wouldn’t matter in a few minutes because he would be covered in a thick winter coat of fur that would keep him warm in the snow. He made sure to set his clothing on his work bench so they wouldn’t get ruined. It was harder than he expected as his hands had already begun to morph into claws, the pads of his fingers turning gray, his skin growing thicker. 

That was _ strange _ , he hadn’t transformed this early or without _ feeling _ it in a long, long time. He was so used to trying to delay the transformation until he couldn’t any longer and for the transformation to be painful as hell for him. It was a little alarming that he didn’t even notice.

Ace brought a clawed hand up to his mouth to feel for fangs when the pain hit and he doubled over with stars bursting behind his eyes.

So much for this transformation not being painful. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Ready?” Thatch asked, glancing at Marco after they watched Ace disappear into his work shed. Ace had decided on transforming in private which was understandable. And him transforming in private eliminated the problem of transforming in front of someone outside of their pack.

Marco glanced back at Thatch before looking back at the shed and nodding, “You?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Thatch said.

“Then let’s get this over with.”

* * *

  
  


Ace twisted the door knob with his paws until it clicked before dropping back to all fours as tentatively nudged open the shed door with his nose. He could keep upright but, like most wolves, he preferred to stay on all fours. Standing upright was uncomfortable and he found he was less agile and able to defend himself when he stood up. 

The first thing he saw when the door opened were two wolves sitting about fifteen yards away from the shed. In the moonlight he could see one with golden fur, which was Marco, and the other had ginger fur with some black fur streaked throughout, which was Thatch. Their wolf forms fit them so well. 

For a moment, they just stared at him and he stared right back, until Marco stood up and slowly approached him, Thatch following a few steps behind him. Ace stood still, watching the other wolves closely as they got closer. Marco paused a few feet away from him and instinctively Ace lowered himself to the ground, ears back as a sign of submission. There was a moment when they just watched each other before Marco took those final steps forward and nosed at Ace’s muzzle.

And just like that, every ounce of tension vanished from Ace’s body.

Ace pressed his nose against Marco’s muzzle, giving it a brief lick before Thatch descended on him. Thatch nosed at his face and licked him as well as a sign of friendliness. 

Instantly, memories of Luffy trying to do the same to prove he would be a good werewolf and Ace couldn’t stop the small whine of happiness he let out. Thatch paused for a second before letting out a soft bark and pulling back. Thatch’s ears were perked and his tail wagging as he looked between Ace and Marco, barking once more. Marco let out a bark of his own. The question was obvious to him, they were asking him if he wanted to hunt which he accepted with a bark.

It was odd, that despite not being a member of their pack, Ace could understand the meanings behind their body language and vocalization. It was very odd considering that he was barely able to understand Dadan and her pack even after years of living with them… 

But Ace didn’t have the time to figure out why that was as Marco and Thatch were already moving. 

Whatever. He could figure it out in the morning. 

_ Now it was time to hunt. _

  
  


* * *

  
  


Watching Ace hunt was fascinating. 

Thatch had watched many wolves hunt before, within his family and out of it. But none of them compared to Ace and he wasn’t prepared at all by his first look at Ace’s wolf form.

Technically, Thatch had been around Ace on a full moon before. When Teach first attacked him, but Thatch didn’t get a good chance to actually see Ace in his wolf form as Pops mostly hid him until morning came. Pops actually stayed in his own wolf form until Joy entered Ace’s territory and they were able to take care of him.

So when he got his first good, actually look at Ace’s wolf form…

Well, he was a little taken aback by it.

If he thought Ace smelled off in his human form, it was nothing compared to how he _ looked _ in his wolf form. The kid looked weak, he was about the size of a regular wolf, even the smallest members of their pack were bigger than regular wolves. But his physical appearance wasn’t really what Thatch was talking about, it was more Ace’s mannerisms that concerned him. 

He looked two seconds from panicking from the second he left his shed. His body language was clearly defensive. While he did warm up to them rather quickly, that didn’t stop him from constantly going on alert at every small sound from the forest, searching for a potential threat or escape Thatch couldn’t tell but it worried him.

But, maybe Ace was just nervous about this entire situation. He was spending the moon with two people he didn’t know super well and there hadn’t been that much time that had passed since Teach had attacked him. So it would make sense for him to act a little jittery. That’s what Thatch tried to convince himself at least. Deep down he knew what the look in Ace’s eye really was.

And he didn’t like the implications of it.

Thatch shook his head, clearing his mind. He didn’t want to dwell on that tonight. He’d rather focus on actually getting Ace to warm up to them.

And Ace made it easy enough to forget about all of that as he took down a full grown buck all on his own. What Ace lacked in power due to whatever sickness Pops theorized he had, Ace made up for in strategy and willpower. 

It was impressive to say the least.

Almost as impressive as how Ace could wolf down-- _ pun definitely intended _\-- the entire buck on his own while Marco and Thatch could split one and have some meat still left over when they were done.

Marco shared a look with Thatch as they watched Ace finish up eating, really he was just cleaning the bones at that point. Thatch was about to try and ask what they were doing next when a distant howling cut through the air. Ace stopped eating, standing on guard with his ears perked as he looked between them, panic in his eyes for a brief second before he recognized what he was hearing.

The howling was so far off, but it was clear who it was. 

Thatch would know the sound of his Pops and siblings howl no matter far away. 

Without even thinking, Thatch threw his head back and howled in answer, Marco doing the same. Once they were done, Thatch looked back at Ace who was watching them curiously, with his head tilted to the side and confusion clear in his bright gray eyes. 

When more howling rang out from the distance, Ace kept watching as they didn’t respond but clearly listened to it. They didn’t need to respond anyways, the pack was just checking in on them.

After the air went silent once more, Thatch walked towards Ace and nudged the side of the pup’s head with his nose, giving him a quick lick. He nodded towards the woods in a silent question to see if Ace was up for some roaming. Ace blinked at him and nodded. 

Thatch didn’t even get to ask which direction they’d go as Ace was already leading the way, looking back at them with a soft, _ ‘follow me’ _ yip before sprinting off into the forest. Behind him, Marco let out a huff and Thatch looked back at him with mischief in his eyes.

The challenge was clear as he barked at his brother, _ ‘race ya’ _!

Thatch didn’t get his brother a second to respond, sprinting off after Ace as Marco barked behind him, scrambling to get to his feet and catch up with the two other wolves.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Whitebeard settled back down after he heard his children’s response to the howl. The children that stayed in their territory howled back once more, wishing their brothers and Ace well, before going back to what they were doing before.

Haruta made their way over to him, when they got to him, they promptly laid down. Curled up so they were leaning against his chest with their head against his shoulder and their paws on his forelegs, their tail softly thumping against the ground as they looked up at him. If Whitebeard could smile, he would, but in his wolf form it was pretty difficult to do so, so instead he ducked his head down and nosed at the top of his child’s head, earning a soft whine from Haruta in response. He watched the rest of his pack play fight or eat. Jozu tried to take on Marco’s role of ‘mother hen’ and keep the ones play fighting from rough-housing too much only to get ambushed by several of his siblings.

While it was odd not having Marco and Thatch around during the full moon, Whitebeard was confident that if everything went well tonight then in the future they might have another addition to their full moons. 

By the moon he hoped everything would go well.

  
  


* * *

  
  


When Marco eventually caught up with Thatch and Ace, they were play-fighting in a small clearing. He almost intervened at first, but when Ace let out a cheerful yip and Marco noticed his body language was playful instead of defensive, he decided to let them play and keep an eye on them while he took a look around the clearing.

The area was secluded, with a natural rock formation on one side, providing a bit of shelter with an overhang and Marco could spot a bright orange box which he could assume was one of the emergency kits Ace said he had stored around his territory. The rest of the clearing was surrounded by trees with a small stream that had been iced over running through the east side of the clearing and there was a small path that lead into the clearing on the northern side. It was probably the path Ace used outside of the full moon but he led them into the clearing through the woods this time. And in the center of the clearing was a makeshift fire pit surrounded by stones.

It was a nice little area, perfect for spending a moon in or for camping.

Marco settled down under the overhang where there wasn’t any snow. He watched Ace and Thatch continue to play fight, neither of them paid him any mind though. They were too focused on trying to pin the other to the ground and it appeared that Ace was winning-- whether Thatch was letting Ace win or not was up for debate though. 

Ace had really warmed up to them that night, it was surprising how quickly he went from eyeing them with unconcealed wary to down right playing with Thatch. But it was good and Marco wouldn’t dare question Ace about it in case that made him close up again. He would keep in mind that if they spent any more moons with him, they might have to accept that Ace would be closed off and wary at first before getting comfortable with them.

After a while, the two wolves quieted down and Marco watched as they both shook off the snow that clung to their coats and looked around for him. When Ace caught sight of him, he trotted towards him, while Thatch hung back and actually explored the clearing himself. 

Ace stopped when he stood right in front of Marco. He tilted his head to the side in a soundless question to which Marco shifted so that he was laying more on his side, a position similar to one his Pops would lay in so the pack could curl up against him. 

And that was exactly what Ace did.

Ace curled up against Marco’s side, his body curled so that his tail brushed against his nose while his back pressed against Marco’s chest. Marco shifted as well, and while his wolf form wasn’t as big as his Pops’, he tried to mimic what his Pops usually did. Repositioning himself so that he could almost hide away the other wolf. He rested his head on top of Ace’s and he closed his eyes as the smaller wolf let out a small huff. 

The young wolf was warm-- almost alarmingly so-- and it was hard not to start to doze off when Ace was tucked against him. 

But a cold nose pressing up between his eyes shortly followed by a tongue brought out of his half-asleep state. Blinking, Marco looked up at Thatch who was panting, mouth wide and tail wagging as he stared down at his brother. Marco snorted and nodded at Thatch, letting him know he was okay to join them. He settled back down against Ace as Thatch curled up around Ace from the other side, effectively hiding the small wolf away completely, while tucking his head against Marco’s neck.

For a moment, the situation reminded Marco of when Haruta first joined their pack, the young wolf had been glued to their’s and Whitebeard’s side during the full moons and spent most of them asleep against one of them. Though Ace was very different from Haruta, even if he was warming up to them. 

Marco could pretend otherwise for a moment though. 

He could pretend that Ace was attached to them because he was excited to be a part of their pack like Haruta was, instead of it being because they were some of the only wolves in their pack that he wasn’t still scared of. He could pretend that, as he started to drift off once more, that Ace was definitely going to join their pack and he’d be safe with them each full moon. 

He’d never be as optimistic as he Pops was, but as he felt Ace cuddle into him a little more, he felt hopeful that maybe one day he won’t have to pretend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y’all liked this chapter? I’m sorry there was like... minimal dialogue here but I couldn’t really work out how to put dialogue in without it seeming a little odd? Like I should explain that “my” werewolves mostly communicate through non-verbal cues and if a wolf isn’t a part of a pack it’s harder/near impossible for them to understand each other if that makes sense? (I wonder why Ace can pick up on Marco and Thatch’s cues~~) 
> 
> Anyways!! That’s it for this chapter!! Hope y’all enjoyed and I’ll be back next week!!


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The full moon has passed but Marco and Thatch aren’t leaving Ace alone just yet, in fact it doesn’t look like they’ll be leaving him any time soon... Not that Ace really minds them hanging around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost, almost did another wolf chapter but I decided against it lol so here is some post-full moon fluff!!
> 
> Hope y’all enjoy!!!

Too soon in Marco’s opinion did the sunrise start to approach. 

And that meant they needed to get back to Ace’s place before they turned back. If it were just Thatch and him and they were in their own territory, Marco wouldn’t think twice about just waiting to turn back before heading home, but as it were, he didn’t really want to transform in front of Ace nor did he think Ace would want to transform in front of them.

So Marco reluctantly got up off the ground and took a short walk across the clearing to stretch out and get a quick drink from the creek before going back to where the other two were still sleeping so that he could wake them. He circled around Thatch, his back to the clearing as he slept, so that he could wake him first. After their nap last night, Ace and Thatch had played around some more, dragging Marco into a play fight or two… or more but that didn’t matter. After that they did a little more hunting, this time for some small prey as a snack which took several hours. By the time they were done hunting, Ace had started to look thoroughly exhausted and he slept for the rest of the moon while Marco and Thatch stayed awake for a while longer before falling asleep themselves. 

Marco felt warmth spread in his chest as he took in the sight before him. Much like earlier that night, Ace had curled up between the two of them, his body tightly curled up on itself so that his tail touched his face in a way that was _far_ more cat-like or fox-like than what Marco expected from a wolf but… It was rather cute.

It was especially cute when Thatch was curled around the younger, his brother’s head resting beside Ace’s and his tail was occasionally flicking against the ground and Ace’s back. No doubt Thatch was dreaming of something nice that caused his tail to wag in his sleep. 

He was _very unhappy_ that he had to ruin the moment but with a sigh, Marco leaned down and nudged at Thatch’s muzzle with his nose, his tongue flicking out to lick it lightly. 

Immediately, Thatch began to stir, his eyes blinking open before closing again as he let out a big yawn. He blinked once more when he was done yawning and glance up at Marco with a questioning gaze.

Marco answered the gaze by looking back into the woods then looking back at Thatch, letting out a quiet bark that didn’t truly escape his chest. Thatch knew what that meant and he whined, not wanting to get up or leave so soon but he got to his feet regardless of his own protests and stretched as Marco went to wake Ace up.

It was _a lot_ harder to rouse Ace than it was Thatch Marco discovered as he tried the same technique he did on Thatch only for Ace to let out a huff and roll over, away from Marco’s prodding after a few licks. 

Behind him, Thatch snorted at Ace’s actions and Marco shot him a glare, challenging him to try to do better with a bark. Thatch cocked his head with as much of a grin as a wolf could wear, he trotted up so he was beside Marco, flashing him one last grin before leaning down to wake Ace with a nudge of his nose and lick and…

Ace let out a loud whine and batting Thatch away with his paw before rolling over again.

Thatch looked positively stunned and it was Marco’s turn to laugh and Thatch’s turn to glare at his brother. Thatch scowled before turning back to Ace and trying once more, this time barking next to the pup’s head softly only for Ace to whine again and curl up tighter on himself. Thatch tried a couple more times to wake the child, attempts that all resulted in Ace whining, batting him away, or flat out ignoring him, until he got irritated and shot Marco a questioning look to see if he could pull out the big guns.

Marco thought it over for a second before nodding at the idea. He’d stop Thatch if it seemed like it was too much for Ace but there wouldn’t be much harm in Thatch trying.

So Thatch took a step back, looking over Ace once to make sure he could do this right, then leaned back in so that his nose was pressed again the back of Ace’s neck. 

In one fluid movement, Thatch clamped his teeth down on the scruff of Ace’s neck and reared back onto his hind legs. That woke Ace immediately and the pup let out a yelp, struggling weakly for a brief before his instinct kicked in and he went limp.

Marco circled them and looked up at his brother and Ace with an amused look as Thatch kept Ace off the ground and Ace stared down at him with wide eyes, his body trying to curl up with his tail between his legs. He watched Ace’s face and took careful consideration of his scent for any panic, any discomfort, but when he could only pick up on confusion coming off of him, he barked softly at Thatch, giving him the go ahead. 

And with that, Thatch walked on unsteady feet-- he was unused to walking on his hind legs let alone carrying anything while walking on his hind legs but he was unwilling to drop Ace just yet-- at a slow pace behind Marco as his older brother lead the way for them back to Ace’s house. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Thatch only let Ace down once his house came into view, despite how Ace squirmed and yip when he realized Thatch fully intended on carrying him like he was a helpless puppy the entire way back. He eventually settled back down and let himself be carried with a pout.

When his house finally came into sight though, he squirmed and barked until Thatch lowered him to the ground softly. Ace turned to scowl at the other wolf once his feet hit the ground but when he faced Thatch he was met with a lick to his face and he let out a small yelp to which Thatch barked out a laugh. 

He tried to be angry but he couldn’t, he couldn’t even fake a glare so he looked away with a huff, ignoring the soft sound Thatch made and the look Marco shot their way. 

Once they got to his shed, the sun was barely peeking over the horizon and Ace hesitated to go in. He glanced back at Marco and Thatch one last time, reassuring himself that they would still be there when he came back out before he entered the shed, closing the door behind him with a nudge of his head.

He only had a few more minutes before he’d transform back into his human form.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Ace groggily rubbed his eyes as he sat up, his head spinning. For some reason, turning from a wolf to a human form always drained Ace the most and that hadn’t changed even if transformations into a wolf got easier for him to deal with over the years. 

Maybe it was a result of him expending so much energy transforming twice and also expending energy by running around and hunting in his wolf form. And he also did a lot more running around that full moon than he had in a long time… He loathed to admit it, but he really did miss playing fighting with his brothers and spending the moon with Marco and Thatch, while it wasn’t the same, it felt… nice.

_Yeah_… Ace thought, closing his eyes for a moment to recalibrate himself, it was nice… 

A sudden knock on the shed down startled Ace, his eyes flying back open.

“Ace,” Marco called on the other side, “You okay in there, yoi?”

Ace took a second to process the question before calling out, his voice a little weak as his throat was dry, “Y-yeah! I’m alright, I’ll be out in a minute!”

There was a pause on the other side, Ace could faintly pick up on Marco saying something-- probably to Thatch-- before Marco called back through the door, “Alright, if you need any help I’ll be out here.”

“Alright, thank you!” Ace said, but he really had no intention on asking for help. He stood up on unsteady legs, still not used to the change in his center of balance. He used his work bench for support as he got dressed, noting that even though he spent the moon differently than usual, he was just as filthy as he normally was after a moon and he was in dire need of a shower. 

After pulling on his clothes and slipping on his shoes, Ace pushed open the shed door and was met with the sight of Marco still waiting outside for him.

Marco opened his mouth to say something, but shut it as he looked Ace over, unconcealed concern washing over his expression. Ace didn’t get a chance to ask what was wrong before Marco was pressing the back of his knuckles to his forehead before his hand slide down to cup Ace’s chin so that Marco could look over his face better.

“Are you okay?” Marco asked and Ace blinked in confusion.

“Huh?”

“You look exhausted,” Marco clarified, “Like you’re going to pass out any second now. Are you okay?”

“... Yeah? I’m just tired…?” Ace was really confused now but… looking at Marco he was surprised to see that Marco didn’t look drained…

“Is this normal for you, yoi?” Marco asked, pulling away and Ace was only made more confused by the change in the elder’s expression. He couldn’t place what it was but for some reason it made Ace feel a little guilty or ashamed, like Marco had caught him hiding some huge secret which… it didn’t make sense why he felt like that.

“Y-yes?” Now he was second guessing whether it was normal… but it was. He was always exhausted for days after the moon, he always had been, even back on Dawn Island.

Marco said nothing for a long moment, but his frown deepened which made the nervous feeling in Ace’s stomach intensify until Marco let out a sigh and he shook his head.

“If you say so… Alright,” he said, still looking unhappy but dropping the subject, “Let’s just get inside, Thatch said he was gonna make some breakfast, is that okay?”

Ace nodded, still confused, “Yeah, that sounds good.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Marco let Ace take the first shower, Thatch had just finished washing up with a quick shower as they came in and was already starting on breakfast. Marco sat at the kitchen island as Thatch cooked, checking his phone for any messages from his Pops or the pack. 

“Anything happen last night?” Thatch asked as he wiped his hands, turning his back to the stove after putting a pan of what smelled like scrambled eggs to look at Marco. For once, his brother’s hair wasn’t done up in his signature pompadour, instead put up in a simple messy bun to keep his still wet hair out of the way as he cooked, and he was wearing sweats and a towel around his neck. He looked exactly as he normally did after a full moon at home.

“Nothing super important… Pops said he’d call after breakfast for them to check on us but other than that, no news,” Marco said. He debated on whether or not he would bring up Ace’s physical state to Thatch but he decided to talk to Thatch about it later-- maybe back at home with Pops and Joy-- as Ace was literally on the other side of the kitchen wall and it felt wrong to talk about him when he was so close. So instead, Marco took a quick note not to forget to bring it up before switching apps to his mail app to check on that. He continued talking as he went through his inbox, “Really from what I can tell, last night was the most mundane moon we’ve had in a long time.” 

Thatch smiled, turning back to the stove as he spoke, “Yeah, it feels good, doesn’t it? Not having to worry about Teach or the ‘mysterious threat from the territory over’?” 

Marco snorted and rolled his eyes, but he nodded in agreement. Thatch was of course referring to Ace with the last part and how at the beginning they had feared him as a threat before coming to find that there were probably kittens that were more dangerous to them than Ace. 

Quiet fell over them as Marco went back to scrolling through his phone and Thatch focused on cooking, the muffled sound of the shower running in the background. He let himself get lost in the domestic peace of the moment until the shower turning off caught his attention. 

He hadn’t even noticed how closely he was unconsciously listening to Ace, he almost felt like a bit of a creep though he knew he was only listening in to make sure Ace didn’t fall or call out for help. 

Ace emerged from the door connecting the living area to his bedroom, toweling his hair dry and wearing a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. He still looked like he was moments away from passing out but at least he now looked clean and comfortable.

Marco shot him a smile which Ace returned, yawning into one of his hands as he gestured behind him.

“You can-“ Ace cut himself off with another yawn, “you can shower now. You know where everything is…?”

Marco nodded, Ace had shown them around his bathroom the night before, showing them where the towels, the soap, and everything else they might need were kept. 

“Yup,” He said, starting toward the bathroom after grabbing his bag with his clothing off the floor, “I’ll be right back, yoi.”

Thatch didn’t look at him as he nodded and Ace muttered as he passed to take his time. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Thatch watched Ace out of the corner of his eye, the younger paused between the living room and the kitchen for a moment, seemingly deciding on what to do before coming to a conclusion. Ace slowly approached Thatch, looking over the stove with tired eyes then looking at Thatch.

“Ah… need any help?” He asked, leaning on the counter next to the stove.

Thatch shook his head with a smile, reaching over to ruffle Ace’s hair, rubbing the towel that still rested on his head into the damp hair and getting a noise of protest from Ace, “Nah, thanks for the offer though, Acey.”

Ace tried to scowl at him but it came off as more of a pout as he huffed and looked away. Thatch smiled at him, even if Ace didn’t see it, then went back to cooking the eggs. He still needed to get the bacon cooking and he was letting some hashbrowns cook on the back burner. 

“Actually,” Thatch said after a minute, as he set the eggs to the side, “You have a teakettle don’t you? Do you mind turning it on for me?”

It was an easy task and it wasn’t much of something to do but Thatch had a feeling that Ace just wanted to feel helpful, and from the way Ace’s eyes lit up slightly as he nodded, Thatch knew he was right about that. He learned a while ago that Ace didn’t like to feel like he was being unhelpful or a burden on anyone, and asking him to do small tasks while Thatch cooked was an easy way to lift his mood.

“Yeah,” Ace nodded, he was already leaving Thatch’s side to pull out his electric tea kettle, filling it with water, “I can do that.”

Thatch smiled once more, turning back to the stove as Ace moved around.

“What kind of tea?” Ace asked and Thatch shrugged.

“I’m not picky,” He said, truthfully, he would prefer coffee over tea in the morning but Ace didn’t drink coffee, his caffeine drink of choice being energy drinks judging by the way his fridge was stocked with them, but he could make do with tea for now. And he knew Marco didn’t care what he drunk, so long as it had caffeine.

“Uh, alright,” Ace said and Thatch could see him setting a couple boxes of tea down beside the kettle. He had already pulled down three mugs for them, “I’ll just let you choose then?”

“Sounds good.” Thatch said.

  
  


* * *

  
  


After breakfast, which Ace actually ate far less of than Thatch was expecting which was worrisome to him even though he said nothing about it for the time being as Ace also looked like he was going to fall asleep in his food, they retired to the living room. Where Ace almost immediately curled up on the couch.

And surprisingly enough, leaning against Marco who had sat down on the couch first. 

Marco looked shocked, eyes darting from Ace, who looked to already be falling asleep, then at Thatch, who looked both surprised and more than a little jealous. But Ace didn’t notice their surprise, instead he muttered something about them turning on the tv, his eyes slipping shut as he spoke. 

Marco had intended on asking Ace about how he felt the moon went, and then asking if he would be up to talking with Whitebeard and checking in with him but… Well Ace was definitely already asleep and Marco was a little tired from the moon himself so maybe taking a moment to rest before calling his Pops wasn’t a bad idea. And Thatch had the same idea apparently as he was taking the space beside Ace and clicking the tv on to some random ghost hunting show as he propped his feet up on the coffee table, letting out a loud yawn as he did.

Settling back against the couch, Marco threw one arm over the back of the couch so he could flick Thatch’s ear just to annoy his brother as he sent a quick message to Pops that they would talk later but for now they were going to get some sleep.

When Whitebeard messaged back that that was okay and for them to get some rest, Marco let himself close his eyes. He didn’t really sleep, but he did drift between being asleep and awake.

* * *

  
  


Whitebeard switched his phone off after messaging his son, he set it on his bedside table, careful not to disturb his children who were either napping or resting on his bed with him. It was normal for packs to take a few hours the morning after the moon so they could rest. Even if it wasn’t necessarily needed, it was a nice way to regroup and regather themselves.

But, while it  _ was _ normal to need a bit of rest after a moon, Marco had hinted at there being something abnormal with how Ace was acting after the moon which… They had already known  _ a little _ bit about, having seen him after moons before and when he stayed with them, though Whitebeard ignorantly pretended that it was more because Ace had just been attacked by Teach and he was recovering rather than face that there was something wrong in that moment, he could only handle so much stress at once after all. But it was apparently worse in person, and though Marco didn’t know how to ask Ace about it, he did learn that it was normal for Ace.

Which, while that wasn’t a good thing, it explained a lot about their little wolf. 

And it really helped Whitebeard start to piece together what was really going on with Ace and he was already starting to form a plan on how they could help the child.

All they had to do now was wait and see if Ace would let them help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter ended a little rushed and I’m kinda upset with it but It’s the best one I wrote if that makes sense? I’m also working on another fic rn that I’m waiting to finish this fic before posting it so this one got kinda... put on the back burner? Idk I’m still working on this fic mostly but What I’m trying to say do have other projects and it’s messy Cause adhd and my motivation is waning with writing... well anything ya know lmao,,,, 
> 
> I did really like the beginning of this chapter and all the fluffy stuff lol XD And I really wanna add some more sweet, bonding chapters but idk if y’all are gonna get sick of that stuff or if I can reasonably write more fluff without getting sick of it myself...
> 
> Nnyways! That’s it for this week, as always I’ll see ya again next week and comments are appreciated!!


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys have a nice nap and Marco checks in with Whitebeard. Ace is warming up to them nicely, promising to visit soon for dinner and a potential meeting about becoming an ally of their’s, opening the door to a chance for him to maybe join their pack as a new family member in the future. Everything seems to be perfect but...
> 
> Why does it feel like there’s a looming threat just outside of their sight, one that could potentially cause more damage than Teach could ever dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! A new chapter!!! Woohoo!!
> 
> I didn’t really have the time to proof read throughly but it should still be good... Hope y’all enjoy!!!!

Marco woke with a start as he was shoved in the side by something-- well actually  _ someone _ to be more accurate-- and he took a moment to remember where he was. He looked over at his brother and Ace startled, but once he realized what he was seeing he had to bite back a baffled laugh.

Ace had one foot planted on Thatch’s side and Thatch was halfway off the couch, looking just as startled and confused as Marco felt while Ace looked downright offended.

Thatch nor Marco could ask what was going on before Ace spoke, his voice tinged with embarrassment and offense.

“You carried me!” He accused, glaring lightly at Thatch who blinked for a moment before bursting out laughing. Ace was referring to how that morning, Thatch had carried Ace home like a pup as he really didn’t seem to be willing to get up and walk home on his own.

“That’s what this is about?” Thatch asked, an amused smile on his face as he gently removed Ace’s foot from his side, “Did you just now remember that?”

Ace bristled and scowled a little deeper but the effect was nulled by his face turning red, “I- I forgot! I was tired!”

“Which is why I carried you,” Thatch teased, standing up and ruffling Ace’s hair which caused his face to turn redder.

“I--!!” Ace tried but he couldn’t really form the words before Thatch had left the living room and started doing something in the kitchen, “Still!! I’m not a child!! You didn’t have to carry me!!”

Thatch just laughed, not bothering with rebutting that, instead asking, “It’s about lunch now, we slept through most of the morning. Are you hungry?”

With a pout Ace nodded and settled back on the couch with a shrug, “Yeah… A little bit…”

Marco looked over at Thatch and shared a smile with his brother. He took out his phone and powered it on, realizing they had in fact slept through most of the morning and it was early noon, which was a little out of the ordinary for him to sleep in that late, even on the mornings after a full moon, Marco was typically an early riser and so was Thatch but… glancing at Ace who was busying himself with his own phone and struggling to stifle a yawn while leaning against Marco’s side comfortably, he decided it was probably good for them to sleep in so late. 

Ace’s scent smelled warmer, more noticeable to Marco, now than it ever had been. Even when he was at their home it wasn’t as strong and maybe it was just because they were in  _ his _ territory now and they had spent the night with him and maybe it was just Marco’s nose playing a trick on him but he couldn't help but also think Ace’s scent also smelled healthier. He couldn’t pick up on the bitter tinge in Ace’s scent as well as he usually could, it was still there but it smelled… fainter. 

That felt like a good sign to Marco. 

He’d have to tell Pops about it when he got home. 

And speaking of his father…

“Think I should call Pops, yoi?” Marco asked, looking over to his brother again.

Thatch paused his cooking to think before shaking his head, “Nah, just text him and tell him you’ll call after lunch. If you call now you’ll be talking for  _ hours _ .”

Marco scoffed and rolled his eyes at the exaggeration but Thatch was only exaggerating a little bit. They would probably talk for a while. And Thatch would definitely bitch if Marco even attempted to push back eating lunch, especially after a full moon. 

So he sent a quick text to his Pops, explaining that they just woke up and he’d call after lunch. Pops responded almost immediately, telling him to take his time with the call and that he hoped they were well. Marco sent back a ‘same to you’ and clicked his phone off just as Thatch announced he was almost done with lunch already.

Ace stood up and muttered that he’d be right back, that he was gonna freshen up before lunch. Marco nodded, watching Ace disappear into his bedroom before hauling himself off the couch as well. He took a few short steps and he was in the kitchen with his brother.

“What’s for lunch anyway, yoi?” He asked, looking over Thatch’s shoulder at the stove.

“Just pasta, chicken, and Alfredo sauce. I figured we could use the carbs and this is easy to make…” Thatch said as he strained the pasta out, then paused to think, “I wonder…” he said, speaking more to himself than to Marco so Marco decided not to ask for clarity seeing as his brother would just wave him off.

“Sounds good,” Marco said with a nod, getting out plates and flatware for them without another word. He had just finished setting the table when Ace came out of his room. 

Ace looked around before his eyes landed on the kitchen and he walked over to them.

“Need any help?” He asked as he approached.

“Just get yourself something to drink,” Thatch said as he stirred the pasta into the sauce, “and sit down.”

Ace nodded and did as he was told, Marco following in suit as Thatch brought the food over to their plates. Once he was done, Ace gave them a quick thank you and barely waited for the other two to sit down at their plate before he dug into his meal vigorously. Thatch didn’t even try to hide his happiness when Ace told him how good the meal was before he too dug in.

Marco rolled his eyes fondly at the smug look Thatch before digging in as well. He was happy to see that Ace had already eaten about half his plate in the blink of an eye, so his appetite was back it seemed.

He really hoped the kid would come by for dinner or lunch at some point in the near future again. That would be nice.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Marco got around to calling Whitebeard after lunch while Ace and Thatch took over cleaning up. He stepped out onto the front porch as he dialed the phone, he could hear Thatch starting up a conversation with Ace as he shut the door behind him. 

Almost immediately Whitebeard answered his call and Marco smiled at the sound of his Pops’ voice.

_ “Hello, Marco,” _ Whitebeard said, his voice slightly unclear as Ace really didn’t have a great cell signal at his house, but it was still understandable and still calmed Marco down to hear,  _ “How are you doing?” _

Marco could hear all the unspoken questions disguised as one and he paused to figure out which question to answer first. Deciding to start simple, he said, “We’re doing fine, Pops. We just finished lunch. How’s everyone back home?”

He could practically see Whitebeard’s smile from the tone of his voice as he spoke,  _ “Everyone is doing fine. Mostly just lazing around, you know how we are.” _

“I do, yoi,” Marco said, nodding out of habit regardless that Whitebeard couldn’t see him, “I’m glad everyone is acting normal… I hope they behaved without us there.”

Whitebeard laughed loudly, his voice crackling through the speaker and Marco could hear voices in the background asking what he was laughing about. 

_ “I’m not going to lie to you,” _ Whitebeard said after calming down,  _ “but we didn’t get into too much trouble.” _

Marco heaved an exaggerated sigh and rolled his eyes, but he knew his Pops could tell it was all for show, “I leave for one moon… Please tell me the house is still in one piece?”

_ “Well I have been looking at building a new extension, the missing wall will give us a place to start I say.” _

He couldn’t tell if Pops was joking or not but he’d find out soon enough, so Marco supposed it didn’t matter.

“Lovely, yoi,” he drawled out in a flat voice which earned another laugh from Whitebeard. He waited for his pops’ laughter to taper down again before speaking, “So everything is good?”

_ “Everything is fine,”  _ Whitebeard said,  _ “Is there anything else you’d like to share?” _

Marco took another pause, staring out at Ace’s yard as he leaned against the railing of the front porch, “Nothing over the phone but… Spending the moon with Ace has been insightful, yoi.”

_ “Insightful?” _

“Yeah,” Marco confirmed, “Thank you for choosing us to join him. I think… I think I understand what you’ve been describing… about his scent and… sickness. I think I know what you mean now.”

Whitebeard said nothing for a long moment and Marco closed his eyes to listen to his Pops’ steady breathing as he thought over his next words.

_ “I’m glad this helped,” _ he said finally,  _ “And I hope that you’ll fill me in on everything when you get home.” _

“I will, yoi,” Marco said, “And we’ll be home by dinner. I know Thatch wants to make sure Ace has something to eat later when we leave…” Marco hesitated for a second, he wasn’t sure how to bring this up but then he remembered Ace’s behavior earlier, how he got so comfortable with them in such a short amount of time, more so than he had in the time he stayed at their manor, and he decided to chance it, “I think Ace might need some space not but…”

_ “Take your time,” _ Whitebeard said, his voice left no room for doubt or questions,  _ “If he needs you to stay, then stay. We’ll be fine for another day. I promise.” _

“Thanks,” Marco said, “I’ll let you know what we’re doing later.”

He could hear a commotion in the background as he spoke and then his Pops let out a sigh.

“ _ That sounds good,” _ Whitebeard said,  _ “I think I should go now. Stay safe _ .”

“Bye, Pops. Love you, yoi.” Marco said, smiling softly as he heard his siblings sparking up a fight.

_ “Love you too, and tell Thatch too.” _

“Will do,” Marco agreed and with that he hung up to let his Pops handle the chaos at their house.

For a moment, Marco closed his eyes, letting himself settle into peace. It almost felt unreal. 

From the start, Marco had his doubts that they would figure out what was going on with Ace. He thought that they may be screwed up royally that first full moon they infiltrated his territory, then with Teach’s first attack they barely saved him… not to mention the second attack… But somehow Ace hadn’t left, he hadn’t closed them out completely. He trusted them to some degree and… 

Marco couldn’t believe how far they had come.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Ace didn’t ask them to stay the night.  _ But  _ when Marco brought up that Whitebeard had said they could spend another night there, he nodded and said that he would be alright with them spending another night.

Just so they didn’t drive home still tired from the full moon.

Clearly.

Ace pointedly ignored the looks Marco and Thatch shared at the-- admittedly-- weak excuse he gave them as he instead he got busy searching for some extra bedding and his air mattress he hadn't’ used in years as both Marco and Thatch insisted they would be fine camping out in the living room despite Ace’s protests.

After pulling it down from the loft space, he set it aside to deal with later and sat in the chair adjacent to Marco on the couch. The elder was flipping through the TV channels for something interesting. Thatch had gone to the bathroom and came back out just as Ace settled into the worn armchair with his legs pulled up to his chest, leaning on one of the arms. Thatch sat down in the other armchair, stretching out and looking at the TV.

“Whatcha putting on?” He asked, watching Marco continue to flip through channels.

Marco shrugged, “Anything that looks interesting. Suggestions?”

When both Thatch and Ace shrugged and said they were fine with whatever, Marco hummed and turned to some nature-conspiracy documentary on leviathans and aliens.

“You love your shitty conspiracy shows, huh?” Thatch laughed, but he didn’t complain and Marco just rolled his eyes. Not bothering to even dignify his brother with an answer as he looked at Ace.

“This fine, yoi?”

Ace nodded, “Yeah.”

The three of them settled into a comfortable silence, only half watching the show for a while and Ace felt like it should be awkward. He felt like he may have made a mistake asking them to stay, that maybe they didn’t  _ want _ to stay and they were just doing it for his sake.

But it wasn’t awkward. 

He felt at ease as Thatch occasionally injected a joke or comment to go with the documentary, and Marco would retort to it or Ace would laugh. Eventually they got into some small talk in between lulls of quiet as the documentary progressed before finishing and the next one started. It was another conspiracy, this time around  _ vampires _ and aliens-- why was it always aliens?-- which got the three of them joking and coming up with their own theories as the narrator spoke. 

Ace didn’t catch the premise of the documentary that came after that one before his eyes grew heavy and he began to drift off, still exhausted from the full moon and from the social excursion. As he fell asleep he didn’t hear Marco trying to ask him a question. 

He didn’t even stir when his phone was moved from his hand to the coffee table, nor did he stir when a blanket was draped over him as the TV’s volume was turned down and the conversation quieted down as well.

  
  


* * *

  
  


After Ace woke up from his second nap of the day, it was almost time for dinner which he insisted on helping Thatch with. It was lion’s mane meatball soup, and Ace would never get over how good everything Thatch cooked up was. Marco took over clean up this time around while Ace got to work setting up the airmateress for them and Thatch took over looking for something to watch. 

They stayed up talking until the sky turned black and the moon rose high. And even then they talked for a while longer until more often than not Ace was interrupting himself with yawns and Marco suggested they turn on for the night which the other two agreed with.

Ace offered them his bed once more after they had all changed and gotten ready for bed, both Marco and Thatch turned the offer down, stating they were fine to use the couch and airmateress. He bid them a goodnight and turned in himself.

His bedroom door didn’t close all the way, something wrong with the latch bolt made it so whenever he closed the door it wouldn’t stay and would open on its own in response to the slightest breeze or movement in the house. So he could still see a sliver of light leaking into his bedroom and he could still hear Marco and Thatch speaking as he crawled into his own bed. They were obviously trying to be quiet, but he could still hear them. Though he couldn’t quite pick up on  _ what _ they were talking about without actively trying to listen in.

In the back of his mind, his instincts urged him to block off his door so that they couldn’t get in, but he ignored those thoughts. He had already spent nights in their territory  _ and _ he spent the moon with them  _ and _ he had taken  _ two _ naps right beside them. If they wanted to hurt him, they would have made a move by now. 

Ace had accepted that the Whitebeard’s didn’t want to hurt him for some reason. They actively sought him out to help him and while he didn’t know their reasoning, he knew he was safe.

Still, it took some time for him to begin to drift off-- unusual for him after a full moon, he usually slept for an entire day, only waking up if it was necessary. But eventually the calming background noise of Marco and Thatch’s conversation and the sound of his own ceiling fan coupled with the exhaustion still aching in his body cause him to drift off.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Marco woke up with a start, panicking as he blinked into the darkness, unsure of where he was for a moment before the now familiar smell of Ace and the deep snoring of his brother on the airmateress beside the couch reminded him where he was. He let out a sigh and settled back down into the soft cushions of the couch, his heart was pounding in his chest, a cold sweat clung to his brow and his breath came out in short pants.

When he caught his breath and calmed his heart down, Marco sat up and looked around. He couldn’t figure out if something woke him up or if he had a nightmare-- he couldn’t remember the dream he was having before he woke up. 

Moonlight leaked in through one of the windows, its curtain had been neglected to be pulled back to cover the window earlier and Marco was thankful for that oversight as he could see the room better. 

Thatch was still asleep, snoring away as his chest rose and fell with each breath he took and Marco was relieved that his brother appeared to be fine. The rest of the living room and kitchen looked fine, he couldn’t see anything off nor could he smell or hear anything off… 

But still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there  _ was _ something off. So slowly and as quietly as he could, Marco slipped out from under his blanket and crept across the living room.

He paused in front of Ace’s door, it was slightly ajar and if he focused, he could hear the younger's soft breathing, but that did nothing to reassure his nerves that everything was fine. Hesitantly, he pushed open the door and it felt so wrong but he  _ needed _ to check up on Ace and the bathroom too so that he could calm down.

Ace’s room was darker than the rest of the house, the windows had their curtains drawn and besides, they didn’t face the same way to let light in at this time of night like the living rooms would. But the bathroom door was open and the window in there allowed for a little light to leak in. 

Ace was fast asleep, curled up under his blankets so that he was mostly hidden save for one of his arms that had broken free of his blanket cocoon.

Marco looked away from the young wolf and scanned the empty bedroom for anything out of place. But there was nothing.

No extra people, no weird smells or sounds.

Nothing.

Somehow that didn’t settle right with Marco and he took a hesitant step into the room, softly walking past Ace’s bed, glancing one last time at Ace to make sure he was okay, before continuing into the bathroom.

Marco didn’t dare turn on the bathroom light, afraid to wake Ace-- or alert any threat of his awareness-- as he searched. He wouldn’t know how to explain what he was doing without either sounding paranoid or worrying Ace. It hadn’t been long since Ace had returned home and the last thing Marco wanted was to make the kid fear for his own safety in his own home if Marco was really just acting like a paranoid mother hen.

After all it wouldn’t be the first time Marco had woken up in a panic for one of his family member’s safety-- and at this point whether it was official or not, Ace was family to them-- so it could easily be him just worrying over the memory of Teach’s attacks…

And after searching the bathroom and looking back around Ace’s room, the living room and kitchen, only to find nothing out of place, Marco concluded that it was just that. He was still paranoid from Teach’s attacks, even though they had gone through Ace’s territory with a fine toothed comb of magic, making sure they got every last hint of Teach out of it, even though Teach had died and his entire pack had been captured by the hunters. He was still paranoid and he probably would be for a while and in the morning he would make sure everything was in fact alright-- and maybe he could ask to see Ace’s shed and make sure that was safe too-- but for the night, he would turn in and get some sleep. He made sure the front door was still locked before turning back to head back to the couch.

Marco looked out the living room window, out over the driveway where his and Ace’s cars were parked. Nothing out of place outside… 

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Marco pulled the blankets back to lay back on the couch. He was just being paranoid, he probably had a nightmare and it just rattled him. Ace’s house was small enough that he could hear or smell any intruder, and it was also secure. 

He tried to keep that in mind and go back to sleep, but he drifted in and out of a light sleep for the next hour until he finally slipped into a deeper sleep.

Completely unaware that if he had woken minutes earlier, he would have caught a figure in a dark hooded-cloak, retreating from the front porch. 

Completely unaware of the rift that would occur in the coming days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhhh so hi, it’s been a while since I’ve updated and... yeah sorry about that lmao,,,, I’d say I have a good reason but really I’m barely coming out of a depressive episode and the state of the world atm really isn’t helping... My perception of time was already poor but now I don’t even know what month it is without animal crossing telling me each morning
> 
> Anyways!!! I’m still invested in this story and I’m still gonna update!!! Maybe not as frequently as weekly, but I’ll try to update as frequently as I can!!!! 
> 
> Also!!! I have an art/writing tumblr and I’m planning on eventually doing some fanart for this au and it’ll be posted there!! So if anyone is interested, it’s  
https://autpunk-artist.tumblr.com/ 
> 
> Anyways I’ve talked a lot and I should wrap it up!!! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and again, I’m sorry for just disappearing, I hope people are still interested in this fic,,, 
> 
> But anyways!!! Bye, I’ll be back and I hope everyone is staying safe!!!


End file.
